To My Teachers, With Love | Teen Ink

To My Teachers, With Love

November 25, 2015
By candaceng BRONZE, Troy, New York
candaceng BRONZE, Troy, New York
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You don't just give up when it gets hard, that's when you fight harder."


As we begin to approach late November and early December, we start to become grateful for the things around us in the light of Thanksgiving. We become appreciative for time we get to spend with our families, the turkey we share at Thanksgiving dinner, and the few days of much-needed break on the stretch until winter break. We are thankful that we get to sleep in, that we get a break from that AP class that we have dedicated hours to, and that we wouldn’t get homework assignments if we were really lucky, but we forget to thank our teachers.

 

I go to boarding school in New York, where I learned to truly appreciate the teachers around me. I have met many teachers who truly care about what I do both inside and outside of the classroom. Their work hours aren’t confined by our 8 am to 3:20 pm school days. They are my instructors, sport coaches and chaperones for off-campus trips. They are the ones who check me in at night, make sure that I am “alive and well” (my words, not theirs), and hug me good night. Teaching was not only their job, but it was also their lives. Over my time in high school, they have become my biggest supporters, role models, counselors, and friends (maybe even Facebook friends after I graduate). My teachers are there on days where they would walk in on me lying on the floor motionless, and on days where I would write my teachers emails with an overload of exclamation marks to share some good news or funny things I find on the internet, knowing that they would be just as excited as I am. They are always there.

 

In less than two hundred days, I will be a high school graduate. I don’t know how the future is going to be like, but I know that I can rely on them even after I go to college. I could go on and on about the teachers I’ve had and how they have made an impact on my life, but I will save those stories for my sentimental letters near graduation time.

 

So, to my teachers, thank you for making a difference. Thank you for showing interest in all aspects of my life –academics, sports (and for coming to my swim meets), extracurricular activities and everything else in between. Thank you for always knowing what I am capable of and always encouraging me to do better. Thank you for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself, for making me laugh, for being there when I cry and inspiring me to be a better person. I will carry what you have taught me as I continue to grow, and I hope that I will apply what you have taught me as I continue to navigate my way in the world.

 

Sincerely,
Your Student


The author's comments:

To Emily Layden, the English teacher who shared her love with writing and passed it on to me


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