Dear Mr. Summers,

There is no question that high school, although promised to be the four best years of my life, were four of the most awkward, stressful and downright frustrating years of my life. Often times, it is the friends we make there that make waking up at the ungodly hour of 5 AM to get a good parking spot an easier task. For me and many others, that friend was you.

You made my success possible. Those days that I felt too tired, too stressed or too overwhelmed with balancing my extracurriculars and homework to come to school, you were my deciding factor. Knowing that the amount of times I could walk through the door to your classroom were beginning to dwindle, I didn’t dare be absent. Not a day went by that I didn’t visit your class asking questions. Questions about the AP exam, questions about college, questions about relationships… You always had the answers, even if they weren’t what I was hoping to hear.

Your friendly persona transformed my bad days into great days. Countless times I traveled the hallways feeling angry or down and countless times you shot me a smile or asked how I was doing. Hearing you yell my name from your doorframe when I walked by was always appreciated and, whether you knew it or not, was something I looked forward to every single day.

Your advice is absolutely what got me through senior year. We had a joke that you were my unofficial college counselor, but there is not a single doubt in my mind that that is exactly what you became. Your patience with me while I made dozens of pro and con lists made all the difference, and because you cared enough to listen and guide me, I have found my home on a beautiful campus, getting an education that could never be rivaled by any other institution in the world.

Your class challenged me and aided me to become a better student. I was in your psychology class for two years, but when I first walked into your classroom my junior year, I was terrified. You seemed very strict and I was very shy, two things that I feel changed by the second semester. I ended my junior year by adding AP psychology to my senior schedule, not because I was necessarily eager to complete the course, but because I couldn’t bear the thought of going through my senior year without you as an instructor.

You were also there when things got tough. I remember the day I found out I got a C on one of your tests. That was the lowest grade I had ever received from you or any other teacher in high school. I felt like I had failed myself. I remember when you noticed I had started to cry, you got on my level and assured me that I would catch onto the material and that one C didn’t define how smart I really was. After that day, you were always there to offer help, whether it was in academics or just moments that life threw more at me than I was ready to handle, and for that I am forever grateful.

Thank you for being my mentor and part-time guidance counselor. Thank you for creating a classroom environment that, on some days, was the only reason I came to school. Thank you for still talking me after you caught me donating money to see you get pied. I will never be able to thank you enough for all those times you told me to just ‘pull up a chair to your desk and we will get this session started.’ Now, two months into college, there is almost nothing I miss more than our daily conversations and your sound advice. Thank you for all of the time you devoted to helping me. All of the study sessions, college talks, and plain conversations meant the world to me then and now. I look forward to coming home and visiting, I have so much to tell you!

Sincerely your favorite student (and best friend, still waiting for you to admit it),

Emily