Dear teacher I had to leave behind,

I don’t know how I would have survived those long four years without you. You taught me not only in the classroom, but outside it as well. Sitting in your room and gossiping about all the high-schoolers and teachers that surrounded us is something I miss now that I’m away at college. I still remember the exact seat I sat in, how your classroom was set up, the people you couldn’t stand in my class, and all the little things that ticked you off. I miss you terribly.

I try to stay in touch as much as possible, I really do, but you know how busy life gets. Between classes, homework, trying to stay fit (we all know how hard that is in college), keeping up with family and friends at home, and a social life here I barely have time to breathe. I do try to send you the monthly e-mail about how I’m doing here or visit whenever I’m home on break, but sometimes life just gets in the way. I feel like every time I turn around I have another responsibility added to my plate. I know you are just as busy as I am, if not more.

I just hope you don’t forget about me anytime soon, or even worse, I hope you haven't forgotten about me already. The feeling of knowing that I might have been replaced by another high-schooler who is probably just like me is frightening.

The ways you affected my life will stay with me forever, and the lessons you taught me carry me through life every day. You probably don’t even realize how much you affected me, but just know you did in more ways than one. I have already come across so many assignments in college that make me think, “I remember talking about this in class! Maybe high school wasn’t a complete waste of time.”

You were not only my favorite teacher, but a friend as well. I’m sure some of my peers were jealous of how close we were and others found it weird, but you taught me to not care what others thought of me. Thank you for helping me grow, giving me someone to vent to about all the awful things I thought high school was, and reassuring me that in the end high school will be worth it. Let me tell you, looking back at those four years now I realize I should have never wished them away. Those four years truly were a great experience, and some days I even miss them. Weird, right?

Anyway, thank you for helping me with the college process when it came time. As much as I didn’t want to grow up and move on to bigger and better things, you reassured me throughout the dreadful process that one day I would thank you. Well, here I am, thanking you for pushing me to be the absolute best student and person I could be. So until I see you again, thank you for everything. Not one bit of it went unnoticed.