From childhood to adolescence we have all had teachers that have made a huge impact on our lives, whether they helped us through a rough time, or inspired us to accomplish something we were always too afraid to do. Although the years quickly go by, the memories of these heroes never fade. And as you think back to all the moments you shared with them, you realize you never thanked them for all they had done for you.

So, here's to the teachers we forgot to thank throughout the years.

Elementary School

Thank you for starting our education off right. For teaching us songs and rhymes to remember states and multiplication problems. For putting little activities into our daily work to try and make school a little more fun. Thank you for saying, "You're good at math! You love it", no matter how many times we struggled or got a problem wrong. And for not getting too frustrated when we got a little loud and antsy because we couldn't wait any longer for recess. Thank you for telling us the proper way to treat one another and to be kind and respectful to everyone we meet. Thank you for teaching us the basis of what we would go on learning the rest of our lives.

Middle School

Thank you for helping us at the beginning of our journey into our crazy, awkward, teenage years. For not putting up with the attitude all pre-teens had, and for trying to put us all on the right path. For helping us with our lockers when we forgot the combination, and for constantly reassuring us that the older kids would not shove us inside them. Thank you for trying to give us good study tips, and for making review games so we would do well on our tests. Thank you for being a friend to the kids who had none, because they were a little shy or going through one of those "phases" we all did. For always encouraging us when what we were learning got a little more difficult and for telling us to always be involved because in the long run, it WILL help. Thank you for preparing us for high school, and for never giving up.

High School

Thank you for trying to make these four years, the best ones we'd ever have. For helping us try and figure out what we were interested in and for always telling us to try new things. For staying after school for hours trying to help us grasp the concept of a certain topic, even though you could have been doing something else with your time. Thank you for being the ones we could go to if we were having a problem in school or at home, and for listening to us when we felt no one else would. For trying to help us learn everything we possibly could for a standardized test (even though we both agreed those tests were meaningless). Thank you for being honest with us and telling us the truths about the future, and that if we really wanted something, we had to work extremely hard to get it because nothing in life comes easy. For making classes bearable to go to school our senior year when all we wanted to do was graduate and go away to college. And thank you for being excited for us at our graduation, when we were getting ready to go into the real world with all the amazing things you taught us.

Thank you to all the teachers who helped us through these confusing times in our lives. When we were just learning to read and write and when we were trying to figure out what we wanted to do the rest of our lives. For constantly supporting us, and for never giving up, even though we were about to. A huge thank you to all the incredible teachers trying so hard to do their job perfectly even when things get tough. So, here's to all the teachers we forgot to thank throughout the years.