I never thought that I could be friends with a teacher but you've been one of my best friends. Growing up and even recently you've helped put me on the right path. You've encouraged me to push forward even when I didn't want to. You've given me the necessary tools and more to get me to where I want to be in life. Not only did you push me, you told me the truth and made me who I am today.

I never had it the easiest growing up and you knew that. You were there for me and reassured me that things would get better. You found the good in the bad and made me believe that things weren't always horrible. You understood when I had a million other things on my mind and couldn't concentrate on what was going on around me. You were the first person I ran to on a Monday morning after a weekend of my parents arguing. You listened until I was finished talking and then told me what I could do to avoid hearing it. You don't know this, but you made my life so much easier when I was younger and made me a strong person.

As I went through my four years of high school, you listened to my boy, friend, and home drama and continued to reassure me that everything would be okay. You've offered advice when I needed it and knew when I really didn't want to hear it. You always looked out for me when it came to a relationship I was in because you didn't want me to make a mistake or get hurt. I think I told you more about my relationships than I did anyone else. You became my friend, the person that I felt I could trust most.

Not very often do you get a teacher that is more than just a teacher. I got a friend, a motivator, and one of my biggest supporters out of you. You prepared me for what was to come in life and cheered me on as I went along. You supported me when I thought nobody else did. You talked about the future with me and told me it was okay to be unsure. You helped me weigh the options of my career choices and told me I needed to be happy with whatever I chose to do.

I learned so much because of you. You've taught me almost everything I needed to know to become a great teacher, a great leader, and a great person. I have had an amazing role model to look up to and a reason to want to become a teacher. If I could have the same influence that you've had on me on somebody else, I'd be so proud of what I've learned from you and accomplished as an individual. Every student should have at least one teacher they can count on when it matters most, luckily for me I have multiple.

"I am lucky I had some teachers who saw something in me." -Ann Bancroft