In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, ChicagoBears.com gathered testimonials from players, coaches and executives recognizing teachers and educators who inspired them.

Head coach Ben Johnson

Since he was a kid growing up in Asheville, North Carolina, Johnson has understood the how influential teachers and educators can be in students' lives. Both his father, Don, and mother, Gail, are lifelong educators – Don served as a high school principal and Gail was a middle school special education teacher.

Johnson's sister, Kasey King, followed in their parents' footsteps and pursued education. She is now an assistant principal at Reynolds High School in Asheville.

"The foundation of learning starts with teachers," Johnson said. "The dedication and personal sacrifices that teachers make for their students are immeasurable and often overlooked. My parents and sister are educators – I'm thankful to have had the influence of devoted teachers and educators throughout my life, and I carry that with me every day."

Chairman George H. McCaskey

Raised in the Chicago suburbs, McCaskey encountered "many great teachers" across his educational journey, but two educators stand out to him — one from the early stages of his schooling and one from his latest academic experience.

"Mrs. Callahan. Second grade. St. Emily School, Mount Prospect, Illinois. She was a wonderful example of the benefit of positive reinforcement," McCaskey said. "She was effusive in her praise. And as a result, I wanted to do anything I could to please her, and she made learning exciting.

"Fast forward 50-plus years and I'm pursuing my LLM at Arizona State University's College of Law. I took a sports analytics class, which you would think, 'Right in your wheelhouse.' What I didn't know is that a prerequisite for the class was a background in statistics, which I had none of. And I was lost. Our professor, Daniel McIntosh, had us writing computer code, and I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't want to fail the class, so I asked him if I could drop it. Repeatedly. And he said, 'No.' Every time.

"And the thing that stuck with me was he refused to let me fail. He gave the entire class two extra credit assignments, and if you did both of those, you could drop your two lowest grades. Without that, I wouldn't have made it. But he cared so much when he could have easily said, 'Hey, this guy's not cutting it.'

General manager Ryan Poles

In recognition of Teacher Appreciation Week and all the educators that helped him learn and grow throughout his experiences in school, Poles gave a shoutout to teachers everywhere.

"Behind every successful individual are teachers and educators who provided guidance, inspiration and discipline, while encouraging curiosity and fortitude," Poles said. "I'm thankful for the teachers that I've had in my life, and I appreciate the dedication and sacrifice of today's teachers and educators for the impact that they have on the next generation."

President & CEO Kevin Warren

At the beginning of last season, Warren received a handwritten letter from a J. Rohloff, which he immediately knew was Mr. Jonathan Rohloff, his sixth-grade math teacher at Connolly Middle School in Arizona. Mr. Rohloff served as, in Warren's words, an "advocate, protector — someone who was looking out for me," following Warren's near-death experience when he was hit by a car while riding his bike as an 11-year-old boy in 1974. After spending a full semester at the hospital in traction and a full body cast, Mr. Rohloff helped Warren reintegrate into his academics and athletics upon returning to school.

The letter led to Warren and Rohloff reconnecting on a virtual call early last fall and eventually in person Nov. 16, 2025 before Chicago's Week 11 game at Minnesota, where the Bears beat the Vikings 19-17. Rohloff, who now lives in Minnesota, and his son Jonathan, who is a school superintendent in Arizona, enjoyed tickets and sideline passes for the Bears-Vikings game on behalf of Warren and his wife, Greta. During pregame warmups, Warren and Rohloff saw each other for the first time in 50 years. It was a reunion full of tears and laughter.

"So much in life, we are taught about all the things that are wrong with the world. And then, there are people like Mr. Rohloff, who are right with the world," Warren said. "So as I sit here today, I always think about those individuals who poured into me for no reason.

"It was not like, 'I am going to do this because 50 years from now here is what will happen.' Or you hear people all the time say, 'This is my job.' No, he did it because he was raised right. So when I think of him, I hope I have done that with people. And I hope Greta and I are raising our kids to be able to do that."

Linebacker T.J. Edwards

A Lake Villa native, Edwards' educational and athletic journeys were shaped by local Chicagoland teachers who continue and support the linebacker during his NFL journey.

Last summer, Edwards' first grade teacher, Jessica Chiado, alongside her husband and their two teenage kids, came out to a Bears training camp practice with a sign that read "Cheering for T.J. since first grade." After practice, Edwards saw the sign and spent some time reconnecting with his former educator.

"I just want to say shout out to all the teachers out there, specifically the ones that I grew up having and who played a huge part in my support system and teaching me things along the way," Edwards said. "I got to have my first grade teacher, Miss Chiado from Hooper Elementary come out to training camp last year, and to see her and her family still supporting me all this time, it means a ton, so thank you to them.

Offensive lineman Theo Benedet

Growing up in Toronto, Benedet was introduced to athletic success long before he reached the NFL. HIs kindergarten teacher, Renee Belanger, was a middle-distance runner who represented Canada in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

"I want to give a shoutout to my kindergarten teacher Madame Belanger in French," Benedet said. "She actually went to the Olympics as a runner, and I think as a kid, that was very inspirational to be able to meet an Olympian. She taught me a lot of things, just about the value of hard work and all those things. I haven't kept in touch with her, but I wish I did and I hope she is well."

Linebacker D'Marco Jackson

Jackson, who was born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina, recalled multiple educators at Pacolet Elementary School who played key roles in his upbringing.

"Shoutout Teacher Appreciation Week, appreciate all the teachers," Jackson said. "My wife, Carley, was a teacher. She taught sixth grade science. And for me, Reggie Gray, my guidance counselor and Miss Harward, my elementary school teacher — these teachers were very influential in my life, helping and pushing me to keep going and be the person I am today. Good memories flash back from school and those two were key to helping me. Each kid is so different in how they learn, and those two teachers were just head on with helping me personally in my life, keeping me in a good mood and helping me come in and be the best person I could for that day. They were great people."