An Open Letter to the Teachers Who Changed Our Lives

31 Reasons We’re Grateful for Our Favorite Teachers

1. Because she went above and beyond to show me what a teacher should be and motivated me to become a teacher myself.
2. Because he believed that leaders learned by doing and gave us opportunities to succeed.
3. Because he helped me see that it was okay to be me.
4. Because he cared.
5. Because I would not be the person, student, nor teacher that I am without him. I majored in chemistry because of the passion I experienced for the subject in his classes. I saw a whole new dedication to students demonstrated through him that I wanted to give to my students.
6. Because she made me who I am today.
7. Because he helped me cement my decision to go into education, but also provided me a great role model as someone who was always striving to do the right thing for kids and to make them feel like they were all valuable in his classroom.
8. Because he helped me find my voice.
9. Because he held me accountable and taught me how I should act as an adult.
10. Because he pushed me past my own limits and showed me how much farther I could go!
11. Because she made me feel welcomed, valued, and supported when I was the “new kid” in the class.
12. Because she was a wonderful person and she taught me more about English than you’d think possible in just one year.
13. Because she believed in me.
14. Because she taught me to stay engaged because there is always an opportunity to learn.
15. Because he made me want to grow and pursue bigger and better opportunities. He was always available and in your corner cheering you on. He was a fantastic role model.
16. Because I became a teacher because of him. I wanted to be able to reach out to students the way he did and to make a difference in kids lives the way he made a difference in mine!
17. Because she made me realize that I could go beyond the limited expectations I had for myself.
18. Because of the experiences he provided for me and because he is the reason I became a teacher.
19. Because sixth grade was a busy year for many of us: new school, new neighborhood, new routines, new teachers. It could have been a lost year, but it turned out one of the best in my memory.
20. Because she made my high school years so much easier, socially and emotionally. I could always go talk to her. She became a lifelong friend with whom I still have contact.
21. Because he was a good listener and really cared that the message I was trying to express in my writing came through. He wanted me to accomplish the things I wanted to accomplish and was able to help train me to do it.
22. Because she made learning fun and always had a new and innovative idea of how to teach a topic.
23. Because she was a hard worker even when she became ill with cancer. She always took the time to care for her students and put us first.
24. Because he changed my life’s work from engineering (not what girls did in those days either!) to teaching German and expanding students’ horizons — something I’m still doing 49+ years later!
25. Because she was a rock I could depend upon.
26. Because she was one of the first teachers I had that treated me like a real person with real goals and interests outside of the class subject.
27. Because without him, I would never have understood that a different future was possible.
28. Because she taught me that we all have gifts to give others.
29. Because she showed me how an effective, caring teacher could make a difference in someone’s life. I truly believe that I would not have become a teacher had she not been in my life.
30. Because her commitment to my potential helped me see and believe in it, and the force of her personality and methods kept me remembering her as my favorite and most impactful teacher for (yikes…) 46 years!
31. Because he was a kind person.