Last week, while rattling off answers in my Academic Writing course, my professor exclaimed, “you must have had some amazing teachers in high school.” To put it simply, I did. I had the pleasure of being graced with the presence of so many amazing people during my four years of high school; teachers, counselors, principals and support staff, each incredible in their own way.

I know current seniors, even some juniors and beyond are counting the days, minutes, seconds until they can cross the stage, toss their hats, and get the heck out of there. I was one of those and I regret it. Some say they’re never going back, they completely omit their alma mater and only speak of it with indifference. I am not one of those.

Thank you for not only being teachers and staff but stand-in parents, mentors, role models, “teacher friends,” and confidantes.

Thank you for always having an open door policy in your classrooms and offices, as well as your homes.

Thank you for letting me eat lunch with you, or even pulling me out of class to bird watch when you knew I had a long day.

Thank you for letting me speak my mind, even if it wasn’t always the most appropriate or applicable thing to say.

Thank you for opening my eyes to the real world before I had to deal with it on my own.

Thank you for seeing the value in me, even when I didn’t.

Thank you for looking at me, and most other students, as more of a colleague than an inferior mind.

Thank you for putting up with my incredible shyness and awkwardness during my freshmen and sophomore years.

Thank you for helping me to mature into an opinionated, stern yet still open-minded individual.

Thank you for encouraging and pushing me, while still teaching me to hold my own.

Thank you for always picking up on my mood–sad, angry, pissed, mentally done–and knowing how to respond to get me out of it.

Thank you for always laughing at my jokes or the weird faces I tend to make.

Thank you for consistently being there when I need to vent or gossip, regardless of what or who it’s about, I knew I was talking to a nonjudgemental ear.

Thank you for always being a phone call, text or email away.

You may never truly realize how important and how appreciated you are. All of you have left such a lasting impression. It has been almost a year since I sat in your classrooms and offices, but you guys are always the first people I want to visit when I come home. Thank you for being there to celebrate all my new endeavors.

Thank you for shaping me into who I am today.