Having a teacher like you always made high school a little less ruthless. No matter what was going on, I knew I could always come to you. You took on many different roles in my life apart from my teacher: my biggest supporter, my shoulder to cry on, and most importantly my best friend. You’ve watched me grow so much and I’ve never quite left your classroom.

I was one of your first students you met when you first came to our school. I remember when you first met my best friend and I; you thought we were insane but we eventually grew on you. I didn’t realize it at the time but you have impacted my life so much. That year came to an end and I passed your class with an “A” all year. Although I was done with your class, you never stopped teaching me. You always pushed me harder than the other kids and I now see why. You always saw something in me and believed I could accomplish anything.

You were the first teacher to treat me more than just another student. Somehow you were always around when I really needed you. Like the one time you were walking down the hallway and found me crying. You always understood me and got me back on my feet. You always brought a smile to my face at the hardest times. Of course, I’ll never forget simply cracking jokes with you.

You were always more than just another teacher to me. I’ve had so many teachers who always said the same thing about me. Although they taught me a lot, you were always different. You made me challenge myself and pushed me out of my comfort zone. Not going to lie, I hated you when you first did it but I’m beyond grateful now. You saw me as more than just a smart kid and knew I could do more. You saw me less as a student and more as human, a teenager who is just trying to figure everything out. I made many mistakes but you never gave up on me.

Your last day at our school came and it was a hard goodbye. You wrote me a note that I’ll never get rid of. I opened it and you immediately brought a smile to my face and I may have shed a tear or two. You told me how much I’ve changed these past few years. You told me to keep challenging myself and stepping out of my comfort zone. You told me how infectious my positive attitude is. Most importantly, you told to have no fear because I can truly accomplish anything.

You may or may not ever get the chance to see this but I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me. The first day of school without you was rough. I walked by your old classroom like I always do and had to stop myself from going in. No one will ever replace you and it’ll never be the same. I’m not the only one who is missing you, you’ve changed a lot of us. I just hate that I had to say goodbye to the teacher that changed my life.