Thank you for laying down the foundation of everything I know. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be able to write this letter. Thank you for teaching me how to read my name on a piece of paper and how to spell it. Thank you for teaching me how to count; I never would have been able to pass trigonometry if it wasn't for you. Thank you for teaching me how to share and be nice toward others. If it wasn't for those two things I never would have made any friends.
As weird as it is to say, all of those things that you did for me listed above were your job. You became a teacher to educate the next generations, you taught kindergarten to lay the foundation for everything else those kids will come to know. So, I want to thank you for all of the things you did that come with the role of being a teacher. But I also want to thank you for all of the things you did for me out of the kindness of your heart. Some of those things are more important than anything you were required to teach me.
Thank you for being my temporary mom for eight hours a day, five days a week. There were some days when I just needed a hug, so thank you for being there to give me one. Thank you for always encouraging me to do my best on everything, and for reminding me that everything you do doesn't have to be perfect. You may have taught me to color inside of the lines, but thank you for teaching me that it's okay to not always fit in the lines, and it's okay to be crazy as long as you're being yourself.
Thank you for sparking a passion inside of me that I never knew was there. When I entered kindergarten I had no intention on learning to read. I didn't even know how to do it and I already hated it. But you kept encouraging me. You helped me get through the tough words and you were always there to congratulate me when I did. If it wasn't for that encouragement I wouldn't be the bookworm that I am today. I wouldn't be on the path that I am heading down and I'd be reaching for different goals. Thank you for helping me develop into the person that I am today.
Usually when former students look back they find themselves thanking the teachers that wrote them recommendation letters, or the teachers that made an unpopular subject fun, or the teacher that helped them pass a hard class. No one thinks to go back all the way to the beginning of their time as a student, to the very first teacher they had. Which is why I'm writing this to you now. Thank you for everything you've ever done for me and every other student that has ever entered your classroom. We wouldn't be us if it weren't for you.
