I was sitting in my tenth grade biology class, waiting for instructions on what to do next for our project, and you said some words to me that have stuck with me to this day, nearly six years later: "I like your handwriting. You have teacher handwriting."

Back then, I guess I figured it was some sort of compliment, so I'm pretty sure I laughed it off and thanked you. But I'm going to tell you something I haven't ever admitted to you or anyone else for that matter: that observation changed my life. Up until that point, I had never really thought of myself as a teacher aside from the fleeting thought that it could be a career path I could maybe choose if I felt inclined. Now, as a senior Elementary Education major, I can't believe that such a little statement could have such an influence on my life.

Despite the changes I have made since I started looking into college (*cough*, changing my major with a year and a half to go), from that point, I wanted to be a teacher. Having teacher handwriting is a big deal when you're going to be a teacher. In fact, I've heard people be upset that they have messy handwriting when they write on the board. I know what someone of you may be thinking, Your handwriting might not actually look like a teacher's. Whether or not I actually have teacher handwriting, I don't think it really matters anymore. It's just this uplifting thing I can cling to.

The whole point of my article this week is to thank you. Without that comment you made, I never would have considered education as my future career. In fact, I probably wasn't even thinking about college at that point (or I was thinking about it and just hoping that something would come to me when it came time to declare a major). You got me thinking that I could be a teacher, I could be in the classroom with a bunch of young students and I could find out if they had teacher handwriting they could use in their future.

You may not remember ever saying this to me, but that's okay. If you do happen to read this article and know you're the person I'm talking about, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You have given me the gift of knowing what I want to do for the rest of my life. When I'm feeling like I don't have what it takes, I remember that someone once told me that I have "teacher handwriting." And even though it might not mean much to anyone else, this mantra gets me through the tough times. This past year, I can't even begin to count how many times I told myself that I have teacher handwriting during the trying hours of writing long analysis papers or submitting my portfolio to be considered for student teaching or having difficult observation and practicum placements.

I plan on displaying your words where only I can see them in my classroom some day, just to remind me that I can do the thing I set out to do years before. To the boy in my tenth grade biology class: thank you, thank you, thank you. A hundred times: thank you.

Sincerely,
Someone You Were Kind Enough to Compliment