This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and I feel like something is missing. For the past 12 years, I have had people to appreciate, people to spoil, and people to make smile for an entire week. For some reason, I have always loved this week. I think it might be because I have a strange sympathy towards all the work teachers do and the little credit they actually receive.
For as long as I could remember I have always looked forward to this week. As a little girl, I always awaited the day my mom would come home with a variety of gifts and let me pick out the ones I liked most to give to my teacher. I looked forward to writing the card and going to school to give them to these important people in my life. As I grew older, this week became an even more hands-on experience that involved shopping, thinking, crafting, and anxiously preparing for this week. I wanted to make my role models feel special. I wanted them to know that despite all the problematic students, administrative complaints, and exhaustive days, some of us loved them and were beyond thankful to have them in our live. However, this year I do not have teachers per se, I had professors but not teachers so I figured I would go back and try to thank all the special women (and men) in my life for all the hours they spent putting up with me by writing this.
To be honest, I have no idea where to begin. There is so much emotion and love I want to express that my brain is failing to come up with the appropriate words (sorry to all my English teachers who tried so hard to teach me new vocabulary). Therefore, I figured I would start off by saying a big and universal thank you to any teacher who has ever come into my life. Whether you were my actual teacher, club mentor, substitute teacher, or teachers that I connected with because we were all a part of a special building: a school, Thank You! Each one of you taught me something about life and about myself.
To my elementary school teachers:
As a little 5-year-old, that then grew up into an 11-year-old, eager to learn about the world around me, you all had your hands full. I look through pictures, read old school notebooks, and even letters you all wrote upon my high school graduation and smile. When I look through the pictures I see a happy little girl who loves school. I see field trips to Kennedy Space Center and the movies to watch Earth all organized by you. These are the moments in which I feel inspired and that the in-class lessons became much more than just in-class lessons but instead life-defining experiences. Thank you for every moment you spent making arrangements, begging for field trip forms, and reminding us that if we did not behave we would not be going.
As I read the journals I laugh at what I wrote, sometimes about my trip to Disney other times about “What I thought my teacher had in the strange bag she brought to class…” (an overused practice F-CAT prompt). Thank you for instilling in me a love of writing that has become prominent in my adult life. I think about the lesson plan that included placing the Big Bad Wolf on trial and, as I have said many many many times before, a light bulb went off in my head in that moment and I learned I wanted to be a lawyers. Then I think of the lesson plan that included me learning my multiplication tables and wished I would have paid a little more attention. Either way, each moment shaped me. Thank you for the teaching me to play the recorder, how to paint on a canvas, and jump rope like a pro. Thank you for the visit while away at my first semester of college. Thank you for always being excited to see me grow up when I post on Facebook or when we run into each other at Publix. Ms. Jen, thanks for the nickname that has stuck forever, Tiffy. I feel so special knowing that the people that I thought were the “coolest” as a little girl now think I am also pretty cool.
It is said that we do not realize the impact someone has on our life until much time has passed and I think that is very true for elementary school teachers. It is not until you reflect and wonder why you do the things you do that you realize it comes from your earliest influences. I will always be a student of SCA and a BGEC Bobcat!
To my middle school teachers:
As a middle school teacher, you all deserve a sincere apology. Dealing with teenagers and their hormones all day every day is a very difficult challenge. I am sorry for the unintentional sassy statements, the eye rolls, and stubborn immature actions that made me the awkward teenager I was. Through all these moments you saw me through it. I grew up during middle school. I had friend drama that you all heard about day in and day out knowing that the next day it would all be OK. Thank you for trying to prepare us for high school, I know it often feels as your efforts went unnoticed but trust me it helped me.Truly every teacher that took the time to get to know me and help the awkward teenager grow up just a little bit deserves a thank you. I know I am missing so many of you in this short summary but never feel like you have been forgotten, I still vividly remember the big moments throughout those three years. Thank you, thank you, and thank you!
To my high school teachers:
Little did I know that a place once filled with strangers would feel like a home I miss on certain nights that I lay awake in my dorm room. Hands down my best memories were made in your classes and in your presence. Thank you for the time you took out of your day to listen to me to me celebrate during the good but also cry during the bad. Thank you for reminding me that I should believe in myself much more than I did going in. Thank you for making waking up to go to school exciting and positive.
To my English teachers thank you for drilling me on MLA formatting (it definitely has helped me out), for making me read passages out of the Norton Anthology, and for encouraging me to continue to write. I also want to apologize for all the grammatical errors in this, sorry! To my Math teachers thank you for helping me get my diploma. Also, for reminding me daily that all of my life’s problems were really not that complicated in comparison to the problems that will eventually appear on the tests, up until this day I wish “X” would learn to solve itself. I am thankful I learned the unit circle, which I am still struggling to make applicable in my everyday life but the good thing is I know it.
Thank you to my history teachers that gave me a wealth of knowledge that I later applied to win Trivia Crack and most recently to deciphering the Hamilton lyrics. No seriously, Mr.Boes, Mr.Grossi, Mama Braun, and Mr. Falcone thank you for making me proud to live in this beautiful country of ours while giving me wanderlust for the many places abroad. Thank you for keeping me interested through inspirational talks. To my science teachers, thank you for helping me decipher the periodic table of elements, for teaching me that a teacher could cook a meal and still make it educational, and that an environmental class can be one of the most interesting classes you one ever takes.
To my elective teachers, thank you for helping me learn more about myself and discover who I wanted to become. In these classes, that I showed I found my interests. I strengthened my faith in religion. I learned my culture in Spanish- Hola, Senora Spears and Irlanda. I learned I could debate and actually was pretty good at it. I learned that the light bulb moment was a way of life; I was going to law school. Thank you for always treating me like an adult and letting me ask many questions. Thank you for dealing with Wi-Fi issues and pretending not know we were actually playing on our iPads while you lectured. I think you all deserve to know that if it were not for the demerits I got for not wearing my ID or the pep rally faculty dances, high school would not be as memorable as it was. You all played a role in making the most important four years the best four years. Go Mavericks!
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
To all the men and women who have helped me grow up over the past twelve years. I hope this letter finds you well and makes you smile during the time of the year most teachers want to cry. I hope that when you feel like giving up on teaching you come back and read this to know that even if you only inspired me (which I highly doubt) the impact was one that is everlasting and appreciated. I hope that you all know what an impact you have made on my life. If any of you ever need a guest speaker in your classrooms or anything at all know you can count on me because I could never thank you enough for what you have done for me. I share a memory with each of you even if it is a small moment. As I think about this week I think about how blessed I am because I know each and every one of you. I know I am probably forgetting many teachers and many opportunities to say thank you. I also know that some of you have become life-long mentors, friends, and teachers. I feel blessed to have such a strong support system. Over the years, I got much more than just grades on a report card. Along with my parents, most of my success is due to your hard work.
man running in forestPhoto by 
