An Open Letter To My English Teachers

To the ones who made it all worth it, the ones who not only encouraged me, but shaped and molded me. To the unsung heroes of the English departments, the ones who deserve “Teacher of Every Year” awards. To you, who impacted me in long-lasting ways with the short time we had:

Thank you.

You cultivated a lifelong love to read, starting in sixth grade. It’s grown into an obsession, let me tell you. Even in book reports, literature essays, semester projects, poetry, and novels, you instilled the importance of opening two covers and diving in. The adventures, the thrills, the suspense, the knowledge I gained from experiencing hundreds of different worlds through reading is due to you. Thank you.

You taught me how to write. No small feat I know, and this has changed me. Thank you, thank you, thank you for what you do and how you do it. You are patient and kind with your teaching. Encouraging and not disheartening, always supportive and never indifferent, wholly worthwhile and not in the least futile, your classroom is a safe haven for fellow English enthusiasts.

“She was fascinated with words. To her, words were things of beauty, each like a magical powder or potion that could be combined with other words to create powerful spells.” Dean Koontz

My hope in this letter is to offer up authentic gratitude from a survivor of the public school system who witnessed five teachers genuinely investing in their jobs, challenging their students to strive for the above and beyond, all the while demonstrating that very concept in their passion for a subject. My gratefulness is rooted in the hours you spent grading my papers, writing constructive comments, and spending time listening to my ideas with wholehearted support. It is grounded in your day-in-day-out dedication to raising up literate, competent citizens.

Teaching enthusiastically and building relationships and listening well and advising wisely, you changed the way I look at this subject, and you incited me to love it above all the others.

So much so that I plan to double-major in it in college.

“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.” Aristotle

You see, my favorite teachers of all time, you all have impacted me beyond the confines of desks and classrooms:

My sixth grade reading teacher, you planted the seeds with your passion for reading and investment in my own growing love for books. You set the bar high for teachers everywhere, and you demonstrated what it means to love a subject and love your students well. My sixth grade reading teacher, you were intentional with your teaching, and you made me feel important and heard. Thank you.

My eighth grade language arts teacher (and sixth grade English teacher), you watered those seeds, and gave them glorious sunshine through the books you read to me in class, especially the one you wrote. You began the arduous task of instructing middle-school-me in grammar and vocabulary, setting a firm foundation for my high school teachers. You inspired me with your own writing, and you showed me the value of writing outside of school and for fun. I owe my joy in writing to you. Thank you.

My ninth grade English teacher, you encouraged those same seeds to sprout and grow like none other, continually giving confidence and support in your classroom. You assigned projects that blew my mind about the effects and designs of writing. You made a way for me express my own ideas and thoughts through school-required papers. Thank you.

My tenth and eleventh grade English teacher, you began to harvest those sprouts into ideas, building a relationship around them. You were the first to see the fruits of previous teachers’ labor as my love for writing strengthened and matured. My tenth and eleventh grade English teacher, oh how I wish you would be my English professor in college, your office a place I know would be a breath of fresh air and genuine compassion. You set expectations high, and expect your students to blow them out of the water–and we do, all because you understand the necessity of phenomenal teaching. Thank you.

And finally, my twelfth grade English teacher, you reaped even more of the harvest because you were the first to know where I am taking all that every English teacher has taught me. You took time to listen to and reinforce this path I have chosen with endless encouragement. My college professors have huge shoes to fill because it will be nearly impossible to find someone who truly loves and delights in literature and teaching as you do. My heart aches to leave a class so filled with laughter and solace, but know that you have solidified my college plans. Thank you.

Each one of you has taught me something different, so that now I have all the working parts of writing–reading, grammar, mechanics, syntax, style and so much more– carved into my mind by people who teach it in the best way. Each one of you invested her time, her energy, her red ink, her dedication into a seven year process, that, by the grace of God, will turn into a lifelong career.

Thank you for everything, and you rock.

With much love and admiration,

P.S.

I have proofread and edited this many times, so I hope that any of the surely many grammatical or syntactical mistakes, may be passed over in loving grace. 🙂

#College #Life #OpenLetter #Thankful