I was an ignorant, obnoxious, and stubborn child. Now, imagine having that as a student. Yeah, well there are plenty of others.
But what no one talks about is the credit those who wrangled us in like wild horses and tamed us deserve.
Many people, both young and old, talk down on teachers. However, we fail to realize how much of an impact they have made on us. Even if they were a "bad teacher" in your perspective, they may have been the best to another.
I've had my fair share of "bad" teachers, but I've learned things from them in ways I wasn't expecting. For instance, one teacher that I found mean taught me to be kind to others to gain respect in return. Someone else may have needed that "meanness" for the sake of being on task and the reinforcement of learning. Now I'm not saying thank this "bad" teacher every time they tell you to stop talking or put your phone down, but try to think of things from their perspective.
As I advanced from elementary school to middle school, I found myself longing for the days before. The sunny days on the playground playing kickball and everyone had to at least pretend to like each other.
I would return from days at the middle school and visit my elementary school teachers. I'd tell them about what I'm learning, what activities I've been up to, and catch up on life.
With each visit, I'd become more and more thankful for these teachers that turned into my mentors. I began to realize what a terror of a child I was and how just the right guidance lead me towards the right direction. I was beginning to see that they weren't just teaching aimless math skills or books about groundhogs with tennis balls, but that they were teaching us life lessons through them.
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I remember sitting in a carpeted classroom with chairs and desks that aren't attached like they are in college. I remember looking up at the popcorn ceiling sunlight/spotlights and see the sun reflecting off of the laminated poster reading "Treat Others The Way You Want To Be Treated."
I remember arguing with another small child about shoes and crayons –things that don't have any meaning to me now –on a playground surrounded by wood chips. Being pulled away from the argument, I remember being told "next time, ask yourself three questions: is it true? Is it helpful? Is it kind? If you get 'no' as one of the answers, you shouldn't say it."
I remember through the sorrows of my life at such a young age, things young kids struggle to understand like death, divorce, hate, and the raw problems of the world, that only you can decide how it affects you.
I remember sitting in a classroom during recess as rain poured outside and being bored out of my mind. Yet in the right moment, with the right guidance, I was able to find something productive that didn't bore me and that made me feel like I had a purpose. Even if it were just cutting out feather-shaped papers or putting mail in the mailboxes –just doing something that made me feel purposeful changed my personality and helped me realize the soft heart I have for helping others, even in the smallest of ways.
As time passes on, you would think that I'd move on and find something else to do with my life. Elementary school had passed and things got busier, but I continued to visit, and I still do to this day.
People question why I visit them –they don't care about me, they're too busy with their own lives, they have a new batch of whiney kids that replaced me. It's because they deserve the right to know how I turned out, to know that they made a difference in someone's life. To remind them that when there's a difficult kid who just can't sit still or complains like it's their sport, they do make a difference in our lives.
Whether you realize it or not, your teachers have helped you grow, have helped raised you as a human being. And they deserve all the credit, love, and thanks for it.
From the troubled kid on the bully list, the defeated student, the outcast with no friends, I thank all of the teachers who have touched my life. Even in the littlest of ways, I still remember you and the impact you made on me. You've shaped me into who I have become today, and I will always remember and thank you for that.
