There are teachers whose lessons stay with you for a lifetime.

Throughout my years in high school, my happy place was the choir room. I always felt better when I walked in there because I knew I was accepted. She created an atmosphere of love for learning and love for each other.

Our teacher was like a mom to all of us. Over the three years that we were with her, she watched us grow and discover what we wanted to do with our lives. She was always there to build us up and encourage us. Every part of her wanted to see us succeed.

During my senior year, my teacher gave me the opportunity to assist in the freshmen choir. I never thought I was good enough to do that, but she had confidence in me. No part of me had ever wanted to be a teacher, I didn’t think I had the patience, but it all changed when I walked in front of the choir. When I felt like I wasn’t good enough or I second guessed myself, she pushed me to do even better. By the end of the year, I was conducting the 140 freshmen in choir.

Now, I am a music education major because of the wonderful teacher I had. I want to be just like her.

The teacher that makes the difference in a kid’s life is the one that treats them like a real person. It is the one that talks with them and not at them. These teachers make their classrooms one where kids want to discover and learn. This is the class that kids look forward to throughout the day, and this is the class that kids are so sad to leave at the end of the year. The teacher that makes the difference is the teacher that kids come to on a bad day and will listen and help guide them. It is the teacher that kids come visit years after they graduate to tell them how much they impacted their lives.

I am in my first year of college to become a teacher. I wish that one day I will be the teacher that makes the difference in students’ lives.

“A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind and touches a heart.”