After a few weeks—or, really, a few days—of overseeing their kids’ online classes once they started in the spring, many parents found a new level of appreciation for their teachers. Being in charge of a (literal or virtual) room of students is an exhausting, usually thankless job at the best of times. But as it turns out, teaching during a pandemic can make an already stressful job even worse.
Whether teachers are risking their own health because they are required to teach in person this fall, or spending countless unpaid hours of work uploading all the classroom lessons, materials, and assignments for distance learning, they are definitely in need—and very much deserving—of a break. To help facilitate this (at least for one teacher), the travel company Trafalgar is offering a free vacation for a teacher and their plus-one. Here’s how to nominate your favorite educator.
The contest details
The winner of Trafalgar’s “Teachers Open the World” contest will receive a trip for two to the destination of their choice worth up to $5,000 (or $2,500 per person), plus a $1,500 airfare credit. The winning teacher can take the trip any time before December 31, 2021.
How to nominate a teacher
The nominating process is simple, and just involves filling out this form, which includes the name of the teacher you’d like to nominate, and why. And don’t just rush through that last part, either—that’s what determines which teacher is chosen. Per the Trafalgar website:
Winner will be selected based on the nomination’s ability to showcase a compelling story and how this teacher is standout amongst others. The selection of the winner will be done by independent judges selecting the best submissions.
Nominations are open now, but close at 11:59 p.m. PT on October 31, 2020. After that, all of the nominations will be reviewed on November 6, and winner will be announced before November 16. It’s also worth noting that there’s only one nomination permitted per person, and multiple entries will be disqualified.
Even if the teacher you nominate isn’t chosen, they’ll receive an offer of $100 off select 2021 trips with Trafalgar that they can redeem until March 31, 2021 for a trip happening before December 31, 2021.