“Teachers Are More” interactive display aims to thank teachers

Sarah Bethea

Graphic by Sam Chaney

If you find yourself with some spare time from now until the end of September, be sure to visit the College of Education and Human Services lobby inside Tom and Betty Petway Hall, Bldg. 57. On display is a traveling exhibit titled “Teachers Are More.”

The exhibit is an interactive installation created by the Jacksonville Public Education Fund to share video and audio stories from residents and local influencers who have been positively impacted by a teacher.

The display is shaped like a large book with touch-sensitive pages that can be turned. It uses a projector to change what each page looks like when it is flipped, and if you press on the image of the person on the page, you can see and hear their stories.

Each page features facts, quotes or a story that is told by a different Jacksonville resident. Some of those featured include City Councilwoman Joyce Morgan, Jaguars broadcaster Brian Sexton and Sen. Aaron Bean. Specifically, Bean spoke about his father, a high-school shop class teacher who encouraged his students to bring in broken items from home to fix when budget restrictions prevented them from having proper supplies.

According to their website, the Public Education Fund has a goal of reaching 100,000 messages of thanks on social media to show teachers how appreciated they are for all of their hard work and dedication to their students.

If you want to say thanks to a teacher on your social media and help the Public Education Fund reach its goal, be sure to include the hashtag #JaxThanksATeacher and tag @JaxPEF.


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