I’m not going to lie and say I enjoyed every second of my high school career, or that I appreciated what every teacher did for me. There were days I could barely bring myself to leave my bed, and all too often, I wondered why some of my teachers seemed perpetually uninterested and miserable. I was too quiet to have a lot of friends, and I wasn’t always diligent enough to be at the top of my class. I was too scared of being wrong to participate in class discussions, even when I had a strong opinion on the topic. Basically, I was too timid to have done anything great or to have genuinely enjoyed myself. Honestly, my English classes during my junior and senior years are two of the few things I can look back on and say that I miss and that truly shaped the person I am today.

Before 10th grade, I had not had any classes that resembled the rigor of your Honors British Literature course. I was used to English classes in which vocabulary words would be memorized and short papers would be written, but not much else. I was never really given creative freedom in a high school English class until junior year, but when I was, my writing flourished. No longer was I forced to write about subjects in which I had no interest. I was sometimes able to pick a topic of my own, but even when I wasn’t, your passion inspired me to the point where I became passionate about the topic too. Your fire was contagious, and it lit a spark in me that I hope never burns out.

When I didn’t believe in myself as a writer, a public speaker or just a student in general, you did. Regardless of the assignment, you gave me fair and honest feedback that not only allowed me to grow, but also let me know you believed I had the potential to be better. It was evident through the respect with which you treated me that you authentically cared about my well-being and my academic future. When I could barely bring myself to leave my bed, your class motivated me to start my day.

Hanging on to a B by a thread in your class, taught me that my education really isn’t about my GPA. I’m in school to acquire as much knowledge as possible because there is never an end point to education. I could have easily gotten an A in Advanced or College Prep English, but that would have done nothing but hurt me in the long run. All of the late nights spent studying, reading, and writing for your class made adjusting to college that much easier, and I don’t know how to thank you for that.

I haven’t seen you or talked to you in a while, but I want you to know that I am no longer the timid and insecure person that I once was, and I credit you for that. Sure, I’m still shy, and I don’t think that will ever change, but I don’t cringe at the thought of public speaking and class discussions the way that I used to. After all, who would’ve thought that I would be confident enough to begin writing for The Odyssey, allowing everyone to sift through my thoughts and opinions as they please? I’ve grown a lot in a very short amount of time, and I thank you for giving me the tools I needed to do so.