Dear Mrs. Burke,
I want to thank you for making my senior year as great as it was. As much as I dread going to your class on those “timed writing days” and continuously forgot many deadlines you set, it was your class that I always anticipated and looked forward to the most. I don’t think there was a day in your classroom that wasn’t filled with laughter and that’s why it was a feeling of disappointment rather than joy when I walked into B106 and saw a substitute teacher rather than you.
Of all the teachers and people I came across in my four years of high school, you’ve had the greatest impact on my passion for writing, analytically and creatively. You’ve managed to refine my skills in the literature world and the real world and it’s the lessons I learned in your classroom that I will carry with me.
You are the epitome of a great teacher, and I believe that all teachers should look to you on how to be as great of a teacher. You have a love for what you do and it reflects into your interactions and relationships with your students. From the first day of school until the last, I was always comfortable going to you about anything. Whether it was a question I had about an assignment, something that was going on in my life, or just going in your room to work, B106 was always my favorite place to be (except on the rare occasion that you were gone, then it was not so fun).
As I go to college to pursue a communications degree, you can be sure that we will remain in touch and I will probably always seek your insight on many essays I write (even if it’s like my Shakespeare essay and I believe that it’s the best thing to ever be written and you seem to differ on that). I’m not sure that I would want to pursue a communications degree or even be a writer for the Odyssey if I hadn’t had you as a teacher. If you’re an english teacher or any kind of teacher, I encourage you to make the most of being a teacher and build relationships with your students. As a student myself, it is my relationships with teachers that I cherish the most throughout school. I want to thank you again, Mrs. Burke, for making my senior year so great and I look forward to having you as a mentor through life.
With much love,
Alyssa Cornelius
