WINSTON WEEKLY©^[1]

May 4, 2025

Vol. 3, No. 18

EVERYDAY INFLUENCERS[2]

May’s theme for Winston Weekly is “Everyday Influencers.” Teacher Appreciation Week starts tomorrow with the theme, “Empowering Educators: Sustaining Resilience, Building Sustainability.” National Nurses Week is also this week, spotlighting The Power of Nurses.™ Tuesday, May 6 is National Appreciation Day and National Nurses Day.

Long before social media influencers, teachers and nurses served as daily influencers to millions. Even with the growth of social media influencers, teachers and nurses are the daily influencers who make a difference. Whether ensuring a child has a school lunch or reading skills, or patients have the care needed after a minor bump or a catastrophic illness, teachers and nurses influence individuals and communities in countless ways.

There are four times as many registered nurses as physicians in the United States. Nurses have been the “most trusted” profession in the United States annually since 1999. Nearly 87% of public school teachers in the United States have at least a bachelor’s degree, and more than 2.7 million hold a master’s degree.

The apple’s association with teachers originated in the 17^th century when students gave their teachers an apple as a sign of respect and gratitude. Speaking of respect and gratitude, Florence Nightingale’s influence during the Crimean War resulted in improvements in modern nursing that continue today. Known as “The Lady with the Lamp” as she tended to soldiers at night using an oil lamp to guide her, she improved death rates through better hygiene and living standards. She famously said, “I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.”

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY

Whether you celebrate the day or the week, reach out to a school, clinic, hospital, nursing home, or home health agency to lend a hand or a note of support and recognition to a teacher or nurse, or provide a gift of apples or other fruit. Regardless of community size, everyday influencers matter.  

---

[1] A Sunday newsletter and blog by Alysen Bayles to be shared with the appropriate attribute.

[2] Resources: www.nursingworld.org (for those who use social media, the hashtags for this week for nurses are #ThePowerofNurses and #NursesLightUpTheSky); 2022 Gallup Poll of Honesty (nurses have been the most trusted since 1999, except for 2001 when firefighters earned the top ranking in the wake of 9/11); International School Project, www.isponline.org; Mark Wood, Florence Nightingale: Book for Curious Kids, 2025; www.pewresearch.org.