To my high school teachers –

We go to school for 13 years of our life, dreading it. Hating the assignments, the standardized tests, waking up early etc. But now that I’m almost done with my 2^nd semester of college, I quickly learned how much you guys really did for me. It wasn’t necessarily the subject that you taught or the tests you gave, but it was your passion, dedication and time put you invested in our lives that built me.

Thank you for your passion

Let me tell ya, something that you guys told me all the time as graduation grew closer, “your professors aren’t gonna care like we do” and, of course, I paid no mind. However, now that I’m taking real-life classes at a university, your voice is in the back of the head saying those same words as my professor throws notes up on the board and then dismisses us. I’m finally saying, “yeah, you’re right". You guys wanted us to do so well that you poured your all into your class, your lesson plans, your lectures. You didn’t have some TA to do all the work for you either. Your passion invested in the classroom was evident but so was your passion in me.

Thank you for actually caring about my success

To you, I wasn’t just a number. I wasn’t just some statistic that helped you get through grad school. You guys always guided me to push to the next level on a test, on a quiz and on every paper I wrote. It was because of you guys that I am where I am today, at a university, pursuing my goals. But that goal started with you all. You taught me how to have a goal and how to obtain it. Thank you for ignoring me when I complained about the workload that was being given to us. You ignored me because no matter how much I said I couldn’t do it, you knew that I could.

Thank you for being there for us

I feel like I speak for most high schoolers when I say this but some of you became our parents away from our actual parents. You opened your classrooms to us before and after school to come to you with whatever we needed, at the most convenient times for us. We didn't have to schedule an appointment during your office hours just to speak with you and not your TA. Not to mention, many of you became advisors or coaches for different clubs/organizations and sports in the best interest of us, not because you wanted to. You wanted to see us succeed more than we were willing to and that in itself is something I couldn’t thank you enough for.

Even on your toughest days, know that we appreciated you more than we ever let ourselves show. Your guidance, your support and your influence has shaped us into the people we are today. It is because of you, that we have the goals that we have. Don’t ever forget that.