Did you know that it’s National Teacher Appreciation Week? Newton native Rachel Platten does. She even gave a shoutout to one of her former teachers on Twitter, and encouraged others to do the same. The singer tweeted: “I want to #ThankATeacher who made my life a #BetterPlace and has continued to inspire me today!’’ and posted a video of herself thanking one of her teachers from Mason-Rice Elementary School in Newton (we think it could be music teacher Anne Scigliano, but the school district couldn’t confirm that for us). In the video, Platten dedicates the song “Better Place’’ to her grade-school mentor, who “gave me my first starring role in a play, and inspired me, and made me love the stage.’’