To My Former Teachers,
I must begin with saying a long overdue thank you. Thank you for motivating me to strive for success and always try my best. I didn’t know it at the time, but all the hard work seriously paid off. You’ve indirectly taught me to never give up, and that is the utmost greatest lesson one can learn.
I may not have been the best student, nor was I always seemingly engaged, but I pushed myself to work hard because of you.
As I now pursue my own career in English education, I’ve found a new respect for you. Teaching is not easy, and I apologize if I ever gave you a hard time. Regardless, I thank you for your dedication and instilling a love of learning in me.
I’ll admit, I’ve preferred some over the others, but you’ve all made marks on my life in which I will never forget. You may not remember me, for I was the quiet girl in the back of the class, but to those of you who’ve reached out to me—and continue to keep in touch—I sincerely thank you.
I also owe an enormous thank you to my math teachers… thanks for not losing patience with me when I endlessly struggled with the material. Again, it is because of you that I learned to never give up—even when I’m on the cusp of failing. So while I may not know how to successfully use the Pythagorean Theorem, I learned to endure struggles and find strength in myself that I never knew existed.
As for my elementary school teachers, thanks for playing such a fundamental role in my childhood. I don’t know how you can possibly deal with the same students for six hours a day for an entire year, but you are to be truly admired. Also, because of you I was able to foster my reading and writing skills, setting the foundation for my love of language. As a young child, I looked up to you, and to this day, I continue to do so.
Thank you to my middle school teachers, embracing angsty hormones and pre-teen drama. You’ve also set the foundation for the rest of my education. Many students would say they hated their middle school years, but I am proud to say that I thoroughly enjoyed mine. Though I do not miss having braces and being 13 years-old, I certainly miss my middle school teachers.
I also need to thank my English teachers considering I will (hopefully) become one someday. It’s safe to assume my writing skills would be lacking without you (although, my Professors would argue differently). Still, I thank you for helping me with my essays and believing in me when I doubted myself. I’m eager to follow in your footsteps.
Lastly, thank you to all of my high school teachers. Those infamous four years were extremely stressful, but I made it through because of you. As I finish my last semester of freshman year, I feel incredibly prepared for the future. You’ve impacted my life more than you’ll ever know and I look forward to joining the education field. I can only hope I will be half as good of a teacher as you all were.
If you’re reading this, I hope you’re doing well and take pride in your students. Know you are never taken for granted and we will forever appreciate all that you do!
Best,
Jillian Hand
