Dear 7th and 8th-grade English teacher,

You were the first person who made me realize my potential in writing and people skills. I never understood why you pushed me so hard as a thirteen-year-old to follow my dreams, but now I do. You could see my potential before even I could.

I remember those journals you would always have us do for homework, and the writing assignments where you would have us encompass another person's persona. Those assignments made me realize the other side to every situation, which has helped me become a better journalist.

You had our entire 8th grade class make a Book of Me. As a freshman in college, it's finally to the point where I can go back in there and see how much I have grown, and see all of the goals I made for myself. I get to read the letter I wrote to my future self, and I get to look at each of the things you had us make. I didn't understand the significance of those books until now, as I reflect on my past and realize just how much has changed. I never believed I would be where I am now.

We had a running joke about our last names before you had gotten married, but I still have the yearbook that you wrote in where you revived it. You always noticed I was the quiet one, but you also realized that I observed a lot, and that was where you saw the great things that I was going to do.

I didn't think writing assignments that made me think too hard for an English class would pay off, but they did. They made me become a stronger writer, but they also made me realize how others saw certain aspects of a situation. I remember you would have me edit a lot of work to see how others would write, and I always gained inspiration from that.

You knew that I had wanted to become a journalist and you were helping me gain those skills starting in middle school. You were a creative writer, but you were always into what was going on in the world, so we made a great team.

We both have wonderful lives now living out our dreams, and what I want to do is thank you for helping me get where I am now.

Sincerely,

Daisy