To My First Students,

Being your student teacher has been the biggest blessing of my life. On the other hand, it's been one of the hardest things I've faced. I didn't know until my first day with you guys that 17 little five-year-olds could look so intimidating. You looked at me to teach you things that I myself didn't really know. All I can say is thank you.

Thank you for being patient with me. There were times that I didn't have the answer that you needed or my instructions weren't clear. There were times I lost my cool and other times I just stared at you in silence because I had no idea what to say. Through all these you were patient. You never once got angry or frustrated with me. Honestly, half the time I had no idea what to say to you, but you still looked at me like I had all the answers. You looked at me like I was where I belonged.

Thank you for fueling my passion. There were days that I questioned if this was the career for me. I questioned if I really had the skill to shape your lives and minds like I was asked to. You turned those questions into confidence. You made me stop questioning if the teaching life was for me and instead made me ready for whatever this profession will throw at me.

Thank you for the laughs. As soon as I started teaching you guys, I had so many stories to share with my friends and family. Like, that time one of you told me you had a million hearts and every single one of them loved me. Or the time one of you asked me to adopt you because I was way more fun than just hanging out at school. There were countless times that your crazy class made me laugh when I was on the verge of a breakdown.

Thank you for being "my kids." It wasn't too far in my experience that I started referring you to my kids. I would go out with friends and tell stories about my kids. I think at some point every teacher goes through this transition. I spent countless days with you guys and shared so many memories. You were more than just faces in a classroom and names on my roster, you were and still are my kids. No matter whose classroom you sit in or who is your teacher, I will always think of you as my first set of kids.

Thank you for believing in me. This is the most important thing guys did for me. With every lesson I taught, I found flaws. I found reasons for you guys to be confused or aggravated with my instruction, but those feelings never came. You believed that I was already a great teacher and I would only get better. You believed that I added a positive aspect to your classroom and you even told me that one day you hoped to be in my classroom again.

There were countless things that being your student teacher did for me. I wholeheartedly believe that I learned more from you guys than you learned from me. Thank you for being along for this crazy ride and most of all, thank you for giving me such important memories that will last for the rest of my life.