To My Sophomore High School Honors English Teacher,

For the sake of your own personal privacy, I’ve decided to withhold your name and instill a sense of anonymity. However, that should not take away from the immense impact you have had on both my academic career and overall life.

I remember walking into your classroom on the first day of my sophomore year at Monroe Township High School. It was 7:30 a.m. in the morning, and I was already brimming with confidence on the back of a successful ninth grade year. I already felt the world was at my fingertips, and that I had the whole “high school” and “life” things locked down. However, little did I know, that I had much to learn, and this “easy” honors English class would forever alter the course my life.

Your first assignment to your new group of sophomore pupils was to write a letter to ourselves detailing our hopes and expectations of the 2010-2011 school year as well as anything miscellaneous we may add to our heart's’ content. Hindsight has been a common theme throughout my past articles, and once again it is in full effect as I reflect on what was a very eventful 10^th grade sophomore English class. At the time of this assignment, I was on the brink of quitting the boys’ junior varsity soccer team amid my frustration with the game reaching a zenith. However, writing this letter immediately made me realize that doing so would be cataclysmic and immorally repugnant on my end. After all, how could I walk away from a game that I have stayed loyal to regardless of the amount of adversity I would have to face? This assignment alone brought light to my irrational thinking, and for that, I am grateful to have been in your class.

My love/borderline obsession for soccer aside, let us get back to the academic front, shall we? Over the course of the school year, we studied the works of Mark Twain, Goethe, Ralph Waldo Emerson and a multitude of other critically acclaimed writers. We covered topics that tied into our daily lives such as, but not limited to, human rights, loyalty and transcendentalism (the latter being one of my favorites). While the works were more difficult to comprehend than I had originally imagined, you helped me break out of my comfort zone and approach literature as well as make deep, meaningful connections on a whole new level. Therefore, my analytical skills have grown to immeasurable heights, and to this day still aid me on a number of different aspects of my life. Additionally, I’ve grown very appreciative of the themes, symbolism and overall messages of multiple facets of writing I’ve encountered. For that, I am grateful to have been in your class.

With writing, 16-year-old me was always baffled as to why I always received B's and B pluses on your research papers and presentations. He always thought to himself, “What? My writing is superior to my classmates! How could she not give me the A I so rightfully deserve?” However, the reality was that though my writing was on a proficient scale, it was still lacking in certain aspects. Nonetheless, you dedicated your time and effort into transforming me into a sharp and incisive writer with emphasis on infusing quotes/dialogue into our works, researching and writing beyond the text, and providing our own, unique analysis, all while maintaining formal etiquette. Much like a baby grows into a man through life, you exposed me to a higher standard and helped my writing mature to a level I never would have thought was possible. For that, I am grateful to have been in your class.

Now, I want to recall a specific period in time during my time in your sophomore Honors English class. From February to April, I became to succumb to laziness in academics. I was overwhelmed with the amount of coursework I had to complete collectively for all my classes, and I diverted the majority of my efforts to either soccer, having fun, or both. The state of nonchalance I escalated to the points where I was doing my homework five-10 minutes before class began, sleeping through your lessons and ultimately giving short of my maximum effort on projects and papers. In particular, I remember submitting pieces on Transcendentalism/Individualism vs. Conformity after the set deadlines had passed, and tried fulfilling through the drafting and revision process via deception. Eventually, I just said **** it and ended up handing you a final research paper that did not meet the length requirement, ignored the constructive criticism of my classmates and yourself and was void of a works cited page (You could see how much I really hated MLA format at the time. Now I can’t stay away from it!). I earned a 38 (yes people, out of 100) on it, and in the comments section you wrote, “It would have been such a great paper. Why did you give up on it?” That remark struck a chord, and it became apparent that something was not right.

After you had discovered I answered a sheet of discussion questions just before our 7:30 a.m. class began, you did the one thing I never thought would ever happen in my academic career: you called my mother, and you told her everything! My mother came home from work later that night, and I’ll tell you this: it was at this moment I knew I had screwed up, big-time. Throughout the 16 or so years I was on Earth, I have never seen my mother seething with so much anger and disappointment. All of this, coming from a woman who 1. always taught me to embrace my whimsical side no matter how old I get, and 2. did not ground me when I caused two holes in our house for playing soccer in the house. Nevertheless, my mother went on the tirade of a lifetime, scolding me for my behavior and denouncing my newfound apathy towards academics. Next, my mom did the one thing she had not done since I was five years old: she grounded me. My punishment was to miss an upcoming weekend of soccer games. As soon she came to this decision, my 16-year-old self was outraged. I begged for a different punishment, threw temper tantrums and relentlessly cursed you and your English class.

However, that situation beat a lot of sense into me. After enduring a painful weekend of no soccer, it became clear that I was completely at fault for my actions over the past. I had no one to blame for the hole I fell into after digging up except myself. Suddenly, the following traits surfaced into my persona that I can now clearly identify after 21 or so years of living: accountability, honor and resolve began to resonate with my heart and soul. For that, I am grateful to have been in your class.

While your phone call to my mother led to my punishment, I understand why you had to resort to such action; in hindsight, I appreciate you doing so. It showed that you really cared not only about my grade, but also my well-being. I was not living up to the potential I exuded, and my grade suffered as a result. The experience was a bitter pill to swallow, but one cannot put prices on the lessons acquired from it. All actions, regardless of the magnitude, do have consequences, and it is my responsibility to make the proper choices in life so I do not end up in such predicaments. Moreover, I learned that while temptation is a cruel mistress that goads people into doing her bidding, I am responsible for my own choices; I must own up to my mistakes (accountability). Additionally, I must maintain a high regard for established rules, regulations and practices and abide by such, irrelevant to my personal beliefs and preferences (honor). Lastly, it is important to be steadfast in my pursuits, whether it is with my studies, soccer, health so on and so forth (resolve). For that, I am grateful to have been in your class.

To my sophomore Honors English teacher, from the bottom of my heart I just wanted to say thank you for everything. It was not just the classroom that contributed to my growth in regards to reading comprehension, analysis and writing. I have learned to apply the content you taught to my daily life, and therefore, I became more astute and empathetic. I also want to touch upon the Transcendentalism/Individualism vs. Conformity paper. While I failed that assignment (miserably, I might add), I’ve grown to admire the content. You instilled a sense of gridiron resolve in me to pursue my goals; ultimately, living life on my terms is what matters. Regardless of the decisions I make, they are my choices, and in spite of the purpose (individual or society), it is those choices that make us human. However, it is important to assess the circumstances before making a decision for the sake of the self or the whole. These lessons alone are why Transcendentalism/Individualism vs. Conformity became my favorite unit in sophomore Honors English. For that, I am grateful to have been in your class.

Thank you for teaching me about accountability, honor and resolve. Thank you for putting me back on the right path academically after I began to waver. Because of you, I am now incapable of settling for the bare minimum in my studies, work and life. Thank you for reigniting moral, dignity and virtue in me. Most importantly, thank you for teaching me when to consider the individual and the whole. You are responsible for the man I’ve become, and I could not be more proud of the progress I have made since I was 16 years old. In a world where generations are growing more robotic and conflicts are aplenty, you have taken it upon yourself to go beyond the classroom when instructing your students. I wish you nothing but the best, and I hope you continue to touch the hearts and souls of your current and future students like you have done with me. Steer them in the proper direction like I know you will, and while they may seem stubborn, and possibly resentful at first, they will be grateful down the road. I know I am.

Warm Regards,

Kaushik Dhanyamraju