To the teachers who inspire,

Thank you for your endless dedication to not only teaching, but making an impact on us, your students. Seeing your passion for teaching and what you teach has made me smile and has made me prioritize myself leading a life full of joy and passion. Thank you for the hours of personal discussion regarding how you got to where you are now, and the advice on which direction to head in with our own life. Thank you for reiterating the fact that we do not have to know which direction to head in, but instead, see where life takes us.

Thank you for the hours spent inside the classroom trying to get through to all of your students, trying to help us make progress, trying to give us the tools to be self sufficient on our own. Thank you for coming to our IEP meetings or parent conferences. Thank you for advocating on behalf of us, even if it means going against your bosses or the popular opinion of authoritative figures. Thank you for dealing with the often ridiculous politics of the education system with parents, administrations, and other stakeholders.

Thank you for being the reason we come to class excited and leave with a smile our faces. Thank you for the hours spent outside of class planning your class schedules, agendas, and for grading our work, for providing valuable feedback. I can imagine it is not easy - exhausting perhaps, but it means more than you know.

Thank you for doing one of the most difficult jobs in the world. Teachers, I believe you are perhaps the most under appreciated workers in the world. At times we see you as the enemy, burdening us with what seems like pointless loads of work. But we know you did not become teachers to make our lives, or your own, miserable. Many of you became teachers to inspire us, and many of us have had the privilege of having you in our lives. To those who inspire, thank you for caring about us as individuals, thank you for your dedication to instilling a love of knowledge and learning, even if it is just the content, in both young and old generations.

And to the teachers in my life who have shaped who I am as a person, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I don't know how you do it, but I can only hope I can have as much influence on others in my life as you have had on me. Thank you for helping me to love math again, or make it through the fifth draft. Thank you for your harsh criticism, thank you for the stress. Thank you for encouraging me, for believing in me. Thank you for your dedication to understanding me as not only a student, but as a person, and for sharing yourself with me. I appreciate you more than anyone, and day by day I am astounded by the commitment and perseverance you bring to your job not only as an educator, but also a life coach.

Lastly, even though it gets difficult, frustrating, and painful at times, just remember that you really, truly do make differences in the world, and have great impacts on many of us I hope this letter can convey some of the much deserved appreciation many of us feel as a result of your impact. And finally I say:

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.