Dear My Inspiring Teacher(s),

Whether you showed me my A-B-C's and 1-2-3's in Pre-K, or encouraged me to be an Honors Student in middle school, or pushed me through AP classes in high school, you were one of the most influential persons in my life. I can only hope that you get the respect you deserve from every student and parent that you encounter, and that you can understand the impact you have on young minds. I hope that impact is something you actively take advantage of to promote a positive change in this world. Whether it was your intention or not, my life wouldn't be the same without you and I know that I am not the only one who feels as such.

I was with you 5 days a week for 10 months out of the year, with the exception of holidays. Besides my family, you were the one to see me the most and to see me at my best, and more notably my worst. A bad day was rarely an excuse to skip school, and the people to help distract me usually had no idea they were doing so. My apologies if I ever looked miserable; it (usually) was not because I was bored. Even when I wasn't interested in the subject, I was interested in the way in which it was presented to me. Maybe that is why I want to teach. It is the only profession that makes sense to me, for me. I've looked up to you and others alike for majority of my life thus far, and all I ever imagine was what I would do similarly--and what I would change. I was inspired by the bad teachers, as well. I knew when they weren't interested in their jobs, whatever the reason may have been. I hope to never be disinterested in my career. As a teacher, you are shaping young minds. You can be the first person the future doctor who cures cancer encounters in the realm of math and science, the first person the future best-selling novelist encounters in the realm of writing and literature, the first person the future government official encounters in the realm of political science, or the first person the future university professor encounters in the realm of education as a whole. You should know you matter to them more than the amount of words they speak to you; focus on the amount of questions they ask, the passion to learn in their eyes, and their ability to get the best grades they can. They may hesitate to reach out to you after they move on from your class, but that usually has to do with the crazy anxieties young people have while growing up.

Whenever I tell people I consider teaching in some form as a career, they always mention how "rewarding" it is. While this is true, many times I feel like it is a slap in the face. If I were to say accountant, people would be impressed by my intelligence and my eagerness to have a steady job while making good money, and the same situation for the stereotypes of a doctor, lawyer, etc. Whatever the profession is, I find people worrying about how much money is being made and not the impact you leave behind. I've always respected people who build physical things--like architects, engineers, and such. You see their physical labor paying off by seeing the results of it, a physical object in front of you. They are literally leaving their footprint behind, even if no one knows their name. I don't want my footprint being centered around how much money I left in my bank account when I leave this Earth; I want my footprint to be much deeper than that. I want the result of my hard work to educate people, and to open their minds to new ideas. This world is forever changing, and while I understand wanting to go into a career that is stable and financially appealing... will that make me happy? I know you can answer that for me.

When I've spoken to you, you have said something along the lines of, "If I could do it again, I would do it in a heartbeat." You don't regret your decision to teach, even as budgets fall and younger teachers struggle at times. I truly believe that currently, the best people for teaching jobs are refusing to pursue them with the fear of uncertainty in the job market. The benefits of the career are the genuine interactions with students like me, and that is something I believe to be hard to find elsewhere. I have seen you stay countless hours after class, time you aren't getting paid for, to help me and other students understand the material. It wasn't always about the tests being taken, but what you can give me as knowledge for my future. For that, I am eternally grateful. The system of school is all I really know right now at this young age, and maybe there are other careers out there that I can eventually relate to as well, but that doesn't diminish the respect I have for the people who have helped shape the person I know myself to be right now. Thank you.

With love,

Your Inspired Student