World Teachers' Day, celebrated on Oct. 5, is a great opportunity to show teachers at local schools how great you think they are. But, the day also takes on a deeper meaning, standing for the protection of teachers' rights.

Since its inception in 1994, World Teachers' Day has had a theme every year. The theme for 2012 is “Take a stand for teachers.”

This day was founded by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. More than 100 countries currently observe World Teachers' Day, with many corporate supporters such as Google recognizing the global impact and conditions of teachers.

The goal of the day is to educate the public about the conditions of being a teacher around the world, focusing specifically on the protection of teachers' rights, and the proper training and development of teachers. 

An episode of Driving Jersey that aired earlier this year looked at these complex issues, and focused on Manahawkin, Toms River and other educators and students across the state. The episode, Education, was produced and directed by Steve Rogers, whose mother and father both taught locally. 

In an interview with Patch, Rogers said he took on this topic, because he, "really wanted to celebrate people, who are good teachers and doing great things in an an out-of-the-box way."

Everyone has an educator who has changed his or her life with their "out-of-the-box" thinking, their kindness, humor or educational impact.

On World Teachers' Day, we at Patch encourage you to remember these teachers by looking at issues and obstacles they may face.

How will you celebrate World Teachers' Day? Give your favorite teachers a shout out in the comments section below. Or if you are a teacher, please comment below on World Teachers' Day and what it means to you.