Dear High School Teachers,
It's been about a year and a half since I sat at a desk in my high school. I don't miss sitting there five days a week, nine months a year, but I would be lying to myself if I said I did not miss the teachers that taught me something new every day in that place. I write this now, because I finally understand how thankful I am for everything that you did for my classmates and me.
Let's begin with the obvious: Thank you for caring about every one of us. You really didn't have to.You could have done the bare minimum and likely still been paid, but you did so much more. You asked what was wrong if we seemed down. You tried to remember what we cared about and what we couldn't stand. You took the time to say hello to us in the halls and maybe even participated in a few inside jokes. You made us happy, even when we were stressing about the deadlines you placed on us.
Thank you for being odd, just like we were. I never really thought about teachers having their own lives and personalities until I entered into high school. There, I learned about all your strange ideas and weird habits. I was able to hear about the funny things your children did, and the real reasons our papers weren't graded quite yet. You never crossed over into unprofessional, but you gave us the opportunity to get to know you. You weren't just a cold controlling figure each day, you were real. You were a role model, but also one of our biggest fans. I know I wouldn't have the hopes and dreams that I'm fighting for today, if you hadn't been there to prove to me that I could do even better than I thought I could. You pushed me to appreciate knowledge, and I couldn't be more thankful for that.
Thank you for not giving up on us, even when we did. I remember times when I thought I never would be able to comprehend certain topics. I clearly told you that, but you didn't accept that as an answer. You didn't just force me to complete the assignment, you forced me to try to understand. You didn't give up when I must have seemed like an idiot to you. You continued on, so that I would be able to have that knowledge for years to come.
Thank you for taking it easy on us. Now that I am facing the hardships of college, I see that high school wasn't as bad as I thought it was. I don't want to go back, because I've outgrown that phase of my life, but I'd honestly much rather do a high school paper than a college one. I would much rather have a few pages to read each night, instead of a hundred. Thank you for allowing us to have some free time away from school.
Finally, even though I have many more things I could thank you for, thank you for being wonderful people that give up so much time to make sure that we have the knowledge that we need to live happy lives. Thank you for spending hours and hours grading homework instead of doing something more enjoyable. Thank you for making lesson plan after lesson plan. Thank you for putting us first, even when we kind of sucked. Thank you for being there for us, when we couldn't manage to really appreciate you.
Thank you a thousand times over.
Sincerely,
Your Former Student