Thank you. Thank you for everything you did that helped shape my life. This doesn’t just go out to the teachers that helped me through big issues in my life, or helped me discover the career path that I wanted to follow but to the teachers that challenged me… the ones who definitely didn’t make my life any easier. You set an expectation of me that I learned to rise to. You said some things that definitely hit below the belt, but I’m stronger for it (even if my mom did call the principle because of it).
Thank you to the teachers with PASSION, you taught me that anything could be interesting if passion is involved (yes civil rights can actually be fascinating). Thank you to the drama teachers that believed in me, that gave me a chance and didn’t overlook me. Thank you to the writing teachers who told me I had talent. As I wrap up my last semester of college I am able to look back at all the teachers I’ve had, and there's a few that particularly stand out to me as having made a difference in my life. These are called “pivotal teachers.”
When I graduated and didn’t stay in touch with them, I was disappointed. I thought maybe they didn’t like me as much as I’d thought, but that was never what it was about. It was never about being liked, it was about having a connection. My time passed and I graduated to a bigger school with even more teachers. In comparison to my new school of teachers after four years, they continued to have an influx of students, year after year. The amount of students they had in one year is more than the teachers I’ve had in a lifetime. I want them to know that it still matters to me... that what they’ve done for me still matters. I will never forget my pivotal teachers and all they’ve done for me, as I’m sure hundreds of other students can agree.
Although we may not all have the same pivotal teachers, there certainly is a pattern of which teachers tend to be considered as such. Those teachers are the truly great teachers, the teachers that leave their mark on hundreds of students' hearts. They are the teachers every teacher aspires to be when they begin their teaching program. As humble as they may be, these teachers are heroes. They have saved some students from dark places, helped them out of heartbreaking family disasters, and inspired them to live artfully and ambitiously.
To the veteran teachers out there, I’m sure you know if you’ve truly made a difference in a student's life but even if you’ve never been told… you have. To the teachers just starting out, leave an impression on your students. You have so much power and influence, please use it to inspire these youths to become the better version of themselves, like my pivotal teachers did me. To my fellow collegians, embarking their way through the teaching program… only chose this profession if you are truly passionate about it. We need more inspirational, dedicated teachers who genuinely care and less teachers with “dead eyes.” Find what it was about your pivotal teachers that inspired you and channel those traits. I’m not saying don’t become a teacher, I’m just saying do it right, be sure it’s what you want, and then go after it with fervor and aspiration.
To all teachers out there: thank you. Thank you for educating the world and molding lives while doing it. What you do matters and always will.
