I walked into your classroom on the first day of the semester and had no idea the kind of experience I was in for. Would you like me? Would I fail the first assignment you gave out? Would that first exam you give be the end of my academic career? I sit through syllabus day and try not to become intimidated by what you expect out of me as your student for the semester. When the first day of lecturing begins, I know you can sense the nervousness radiating out of me but I try incredibly hard not to let you see my worry. I get myself together and write down the first of your notes for the semester.

One month passes before exam one and up until this point, you have no idea how much I prioritize your class because it's something I know I struggle with, but I'm still determined to come out of it more knowledgeable than I was before I started. I come to your office to turn in my homework and to my surprise, you smile. We talk and you even ask me questions about myself... what my major is, what other classes I'm taking, what I'm involved in on campus, and as I'm leaving I feel all of the apprehension I once had departed from me. You made me realize that I am a smart individual who has so much left to learn, and yet the world to gain. That's right college professors, I'm talking to you! Here's a letter from we the students of your university letting you know just how much we value you.

If we're being honest, on the first few days of classes... well, you were a lot to take in. Going over the syllabus and realizing that in less than three weeks time we will have already turned in a project, a paper, and taken a test is out of our comfort zone, but don't worry. We can sense that you honor positivity, determination, and effort, so we take whatever you assign us like a champ, because deep down... all we want is to make you proud of us. We want you to see that what you teach us is actually being applied in our everyday lives.

As the semester progresses, we've spent a sufficient amount of time together that we feel like we can be a little less uptight and serious when we're around you. We want to see what kinds of things make you smile and explode into laughter, because we know that teaching around 250 of us college students on the daily is no easy feat. We are aware that underneath all of the intellectual gifts that you possess, that you are also a human being just like we are. We know that when students in our classes talk over you and sometimes even correct you in your own field of expertise, that somewhere in your heart, you are hurting. Not because what they said was rude, but because all you wish to accomplish is enlightening us as your students and helping us realize that learning is beautiful, and not something to be dreaded.

If we come to your office with the intentions of getting things we don't understand addressed, but our meeting turns into a twenty-minute venting session over how overwhelmed we are, then please understand that the reason we open up to you is because there is a clear level of trust present. We wouldn't let you see our ugly crying faces if we thought you were going to laugh and tell everyone! When we tell you how we're managing through the semester, what we are really saying is that away from home, family, and friends, you are the adults in our lives that we seek out when we don't know where to turn. Thank you for encouraging us when we thought we tanked a quiz and we ended up acing it, and thank you for humbling us when we thought we aced it and ended up tanking it. Where would we be without your guidance?

Students, if you read this and thought about a certain teacher who raised you into who you are now, don't give it a second thought, let them know. Swing by their office and offer a simple thank you, or send an email and tell them about a funny memory you had from their class and how much their teaching has shaped you. Our teachers don't spend years in school simply to grade papers and tests, they do it because they long to make a dramatic difference in the way we live our lives. Sharing their experiences and mistakes along the way in hopes that maybe we won't have to learn the same hard lessons. If you read this and felt a little twinge of guilt about a time you snapped at a teacher and never apologized... don't beat yourself up about it, just reach out. It's not too late. If anything, I think they look back on those occasional bad days and wish they could have done something to make things better for you.

Professors, if by chance you are out there reading this; thank you. From the absolute bottom of our hearts, just thank you. Thank you for every ounce of wisdom you have imparted on us. Thank you for every joke you made to get us laughing just in time to save us from cracking under the pressure instead.Thank you for every time you were tough on us. After taking a step back, we know that you are hard on us occasionally ONLY because you see the fire we have in our souls for what we wish to become in this world, whether that be a doctor, a lawyer, a future president, a teacher, or simply put; a difference maker just like you. Thank you for humbling yourself and turning around to help the next one in line. If you think about it, none of us could be who we are called to be in our fields of profession, or in life in general if we had not been placed in your classroom... We adore you and there is simply nothing we could ever do to thank you enough for being who you are.