Behind every classroom door is a teacher. One who spends every day expanding the minds of and adding growth to the experiences of our youth. They spend countless hours planning and thinking about how to be the most effective teacher possible. Some teach math and science, and others teach reading and writing. Of course, we cannot forget about our teachers who teach physical education and the arts! Amongst all of our years of school, we have had the opportunity to be taught by a variety of educators at one time or another. Let’s face it, though, we have all had a teacher that we just could not stand. Or maybe one that we just did not quite agree with, and maybe we bumped heads with on more than one occasion. Some may begin to wonder, “Why did he/she even become a teacher?” What we fail to realize, however, is that every teacher is a human being and every human being faces struggles. As a child and even teenager, it was hard to imagine my teacher having a life out of the classroom.
The entirety of time I have been in school, I have encountered some of the most miraculous and heartfelt individuals. Believe it or not, they were mostly teachers. Middle school and high school opened my eyes to the life of a teacher. You see, when you look past the idea that teachers are only there to do their job, your eyes are exposed to a whole different realm of reality. In middle school, my greatest motivators were my physical education teachers and coaches. At the times when I didn’t believe in myself, these were the people that helped me to realize how capable I was of achieving anything I wanted to.
High school was the most life-changing time for me. When I was facing struggles at home, school was my escape. Teachers have this superpower; even if you do not say or show that anything is wrong, they somehow always know. My teachers happened to change my life for the better. They reached out a hand to me. Not physically, but all of the efforts were there. When I wasn’t excelling at my highest, they knew I could do better and therefore pushed me to do so, specifically, my high school math and AVID teacher.
From the very beginning of my high-school career, she pushed me to seek out challenges. Although I doubted the fact that I could jump a whole year ahead in math and still catch up, she believed in me. I took her advice and she helped me along the way whenever I needed it. When I needed a talk, and even needed a shoulder to cry on, she was always there. I never even had to question whether she would be there or not, she just was. It was not only during my lows that she was there, but during some of my highest points in life as well. Mrs. Lake was present during my greatest successes, and I am happy to say that she still is to this present day. Even as a junior in college, I know that if I need advice or someone to talk to, she is always willing. There is something to say about this wonderful being, and it is far beyond what I can put into words.
Mrs. Lake, amongst other teachers, has inspired me to begin a new journey. Thus, I have changed my major to become a secondary education math teacher just like her. I’m not sure if she knows it, but she inspired me and showed me that even through my own struggles and on my bad days, there’s always enough gratefulness in your heart to share with someone else. It is not about how rich you wish to become, because that is clearly not what teachers are aiming for. It is about how many lives you wish to touch, and that is exactly what my teachers did for me.
Here is my thank you!
