Dear Mr. Writing Teacher,

You don't know this, but your sometimes critical demeanor made me want to be a better writer. The first time you told me that I was an essay writer and not a creative writer, I was so upset, especially because the point of your class was to creatively write. The class after, you told me that I resolved to be both an essay writer and a creative writer. Your class was my favorite and the other students were so talented, but you never puffed our egos. Your job was to make us better writers and I definitely think you did. I also came to admire you because you never tried to fit into the rules you didn't believe in; you pretended not to care, but you beamed when past students came to see you or when you talked about your cross-country runners. The class–all like five of us–decided that you could easily be Indiana Jones, so one kid wrote the story of your adventures. To be honest, I would not be surprised if your side job was as an adventurer and that's why you only taught second period or later. I'd like to say that you also made me love the classics, but Hemingway will never be my favorite author or even in my top ten. Maybe that wasn't the point though, knowing you, there was more to it than just improving our vocabulary and learning to love Hemingway.

I know that I was not one of your favorite students because I would attack you with questions, personal ones, academic ones, and sometimes just random questions. I also had a habit of being a little sassy–I'd argue that the sass was necessary, but it is understandable that it would annoy you. I was a little much but it was because I wanted to impress you with my writing and my vocabulary. I lost my steam when it came to showing off my vocabulary some time around when you told us that as a kid you read the dictionary for fun–you knew words for every situation. This was just another way you inspired me to be better.

You also wrote one of my college recommendation letters after I finally got up the nerve to ask you–it took me a week–and although I never was allowed to read it college admissions representatives and our own college guru told me that I must be some student to have gotten that kind of recommendation. I guess this letter is a long "thank you" for being a mentor for me without even realizing it. I tried to tell you before I graduated how much your help meant to me, but I wasn't sure how to get my feelings across. Your teaching made me a better writer, student, and better at analyzing famous pieces of writing.