To my teachers,

Thank you. I'm pretty sure most of you don't know how much you've meant to me, but my hope is that each and every one of you--whether you're reading this or not--realizes the impact you make and the appreciation I personally have for you.

Honestly, I really struggled with this article. To adequately credit and honor the individuals I still look up to is not an easy task. My teachers have always been people I have admired and with whom I have cultivated long-lasting relationships. I'm that person who is Facebook friends with most of them. There is so much I remember and have taken away from each teacher over the past two decades, so much I recall from each individual, that this article will only barely scratch the surface of my gratitude.

Teachers. Instructors. Educators. In many ways, your students owe you the world. You did for us what our parents and friends couldn't. Often, we spent more time with you than with our own parents, and you always rose to the occasion of owning up to this responsibility. You taught us how to exist in society. From the basics of reading, writing, and simple math to essential communication, and analytical and coping skills, the tools you've instilled within us are unquantifiable, innumerable, and limitless.

I never understood students who despised their teachers because, the truth of the matter is, no awful person goes into teaching. The job itself is centered on compassion and giving. What about "old school" or "scary, intimidating" teachers? You know, the ones that seem like they want us to fail? I say no way. If we fail, so do they. And by "fail," I really don't mean only by letter grade, but, rather, in our approach and spirit to continued learning.

You've given us your everything. The nicer ones and the meaner ones. The harder ones and the easier ones. Even the good ones and the bad ones. You've sacrificed your mornings, your evenings, your breaks for us. Your work didn't end when the final bell rang. Your work didn't even end when the school year did. You met with us before, after, and between classes. You spent your evenings reviewing and providing feedback on our work. You used your weekends to prepare classes for us. You stepped into our personal lives when we needed you there, sometimes filling the role of teacher, parent, and peer all at once.

You fostered personal and professional relationships with us. You balanced your formal and leadership qualities with your compassion and sensitivity for us. You pushed the boundaries in your classrooms to tailor the lessons for us. There were even times when you wanted to kill us. Let's face it, students can be awful, but never did you let this overpower your bond with us.

Someone recently asked me what my teachers meant to me.

They were my extended family and friends.

Even the ones I wasn't that close to, I still had great deference for them.

Even the "evil" ones cared so much.

They all gave so much of themselves to us.

They took on such a noble profession, shaping future generations beyond academics, to be met with stubbornness, attitudes, and paperwork, and to be repaid mostly in staff meetings and unfair salaries.

So, I repeat: to my teachers, from pre-school to college, for what it's worth:

Thank You.

P.S.

This is one of my favorite videos out there. Enjoy!