Teacher Appreciation Week

The week of May 6-May 10 marks Teacher Appreciation Week, and I may be a bit biased since I want to become a teacher, but I have seen teachers do a whole lot for their students, and I am glad to see that there is an entire week dedicated to appreciating them (though I think we should show them our appreciation all year long).

It is no secret that I had some absolutely wonderful teachers growing up. From the first day of Pre-K to the day I walked across the stage at Don Coleman Coliseum, I can owe quite a bit (if not all) of my success to the many wonderful teachers I had throughout the years. I could go through and talk about all the wonderful qualities of every teacher I ever had, but you would probably get bored after about two teachers. Instead, I will just write a little thank-you note to any of my former teachers who happen to stumble upon this post.

Mrs. Cate - Second Grade

Miss Rosso (now Mrs. McGee) - Third Grade

Mr. Avis - Junior and Senior Year Physics

Mrs. Riddle (J-Rid) - Geometry and Calculus 

Coach Adcock - because coaches need to be appreciated too!

Thank you to all of my former teachers, for challenging me, inspiring me, and encouraging me. Thank you for explaining things to me until you were blue in the face. Thank you for all of those early morning tutorials. Thank you for assigning all of that homework (though I likely complained about it at the time), because it made me a much more diligent worker. Thank you for making your classroom a safe space, and for being someone students can talk to. Thank you for all of the hours you put into drafting lesson plans, and for the out-of-pocket money you spend on classroom supplies. Thank you for keeping in touch with your students even after they leave the classroom, and for pushing me to become a better student and person.

You deserve more than a week of appreciation for all that you do for each and every one of your students, and I hope that one day I can be to my future students what all of you were to me.

If you have an extra minute or two, read this note to teachers everywhere. It's sure to make you want to go thank a former teacher for all that he or she has done.