T.A.W.

During this past week, did you thank a teacher? Did you tell the one who always had an extra pencil for you to “borrow,” thank you? Did you tell the one who gave you a hard time because they had high expectations for you, thank you? Did you tell the one who slaved over those graded papers, thank you? Did you tell the one who showed up to school early and left late, thank you? Did you tell the one who noticed when you were having a bad day or cared when you were absent, thank you?

Throughout my twenty-two years of living, I have been blessed with having one or two (if not more) amazing educators each year. Intelligent mentors to guide me in the right direction. Encouraging adults to care about my successes. Demanding professors to challenge me on my best efforts. Supportive co-workers to survive the school day with. I know I am fortunate to have had such positive educational experiences. I know I am lucky that these positive educational experiences continue to this day. I also know that any experience is what you make of it.

So this blog post is a thank you. To all of the educators out there, you are beyond appreciated, whether the appreciation is acknowledged or not this week. You are necessary. You are strong. You are a change maker. You are a role model. You are a teacher. You are loved.

I also wanted to dedicate part of this post as a special thank you to all of my former and current students who, maybe without even realizing it, make my profession as a teacher worthwhile. You all are the reason I stress over lesson plans. You all are the reason I show up bright and early each morning with a smile. You all are the reason I continue to push myself to be better because you deserve the best. Truly. No matter how many times you make me want to yell or pull my hair out or cry from frustration, you are my reason. I give you a hard time because I care, just as all of my best teachers (although they weren’t always my favorites at the time) gave me hard times. Please never forget that.

Although I don’t remember all of the lessons I was taught, books that I read, or tests that I took, I’ll never forget the teachers who pushed me to do more and be better. Thank you for believing in me!