Dear teacher,

First, I want to thank you. Not in an every day "thanks for holding the door" sort of thank you, but a thank you pulled from the very bottom of my heart. You may not hear this every day or from all of your students, but thank you. Thank you for waking up every single day and coming to school. Thank you for always smiling and greeting us at the door of your classroom. Thank you for your endless dedication to our education. Thank you for the constant love and support that you put into us. We all know that your job isn't easy. We most definitely know that we don't make it any easier.

It is because of us that you are away from your own lives during most of the week. We are the reason why you lose sleep during the last weeks of summer. It's our fault that you stay home most nights, grading papers, instead of doing something much more fun. Most of the time, we don't acknowledge that you have a life of your own. When we stop and take the time to realize just how much time you give to us and our futures, we should thank you. We should thank you every day that we come to school, and for a long time after that.

Second, I am unsure if you know the impact that you have had on my life. The first time I met you, it was during an SAT prep course. I had spent the first half of that class period with another teacher (another wonderful woman), going over different math techniques. By the time I had finally gotten to your classroom, I was ready to go home. After spending a couple of minutes with you, I knew that there was nowhere else that I would rather be. You were so full of energy, so happy to see us all.

It was during that time period that you said something that would eliminate all of my stress toward the SAT's, as well as fill me with a sense of self-worth. We were playing an ice breaker. It was the one where you asked us to write down words to describe ourselves. Then you called out several different categories that we had used: clubs we were in, roles that we played in life, gender, race, etc. At the end, you asked us if we had written down our SAT scores. Of course, no one had used that to describe who they are. That was when you said that our SAT scores did not define who we were. That we were more than just a number on a page.

That has always resonated with me, and I feel like it is so very important for anyone in high school to remember. It was the first of many very important lessons that you have taught me. You taught me to never see myself as less than I am. You taught me to think both critically and creatively. You sat down with me and talked to me through all of my thoughts whenever something was going on. Not only did you show interest in my success as a student and a writer, but you genuinely sought out my well-being as a person. You didn't just care about test scores or how well your students could memorize the material. For you, it was about how much you could teach. How much we could learn and grow.

You are the reason why I would ever decide to become a teacher. I would want to be like you. I would want to welcome kids into my classroom, full of smiles and helpful tips. You have shown me that teaching really isn't that hard - not if you really love what you do. I sincerely hope you know how many lives you have touched. How many students you have made smile. I hope that you know how important you are to not only me but to all of your students. You bring joy into each life that you touch.

The lessons that you have taught me, both big and small, will stick with me for the rest of my life. Through my first year of college, I have often thought about our last class together. I have thought about what you would tell me if I came to you with how I was feeling. Your voice played through my mind, telling me not to give up so easily. I never thought that one of my high school teachers would have such a powerful impact on how I go through life. They say that high school is important, that what you learn there will always be with you. I suppose I never really understood how true that was until after I graduated.

Anyway, I just wanted you to know how important you are. You and all of the teachers like you. There is more than just one - there are so many teachers like you out there. And we are so very lucky to have you (sorry about the preposition). I hope that you haven't been meticulously correcting my sentence structure throughout this letter. Then again, knowing you...you have. That's just another part of you that makes you great.

Thanks again for everything that you do!

Sincerely,
Your forever grateful student.