Throughout my educational career, I have had many teachers. I have had many instructors, and I have had many lecturers. What I have not had very much of is educators. You see, there is a very big difference between a teacher and an educator. An educator is someone who goes above and beyond, who extends the walls of their classroom to the corners of the globe, pushes their interest past the subject and into the students themselves, and pursues education with such vigor and vitality, it becomes contagious. I strongly believe we have all met at least one educator, and I believe we can all say that person has changed us.

Thank you. Thank you, to my educator, for showing me the world is not flat. No, not in geography, but rather, in its delicate and intertwined cultures and belief systems. Thank you for opening my eyes to the beauty of the written word, to showing me the rainbow of beauty that is a world unnoticed. You helped me realize that not only is there a world beyond what I see and hear on a daily basis, but that there is a world that is ready to embrace me with open arms, and ready to show me the beauties and pleasures of a well-lived life.

Thank you, for being the one that said you believed in me, even when I didn’t. Thank you, for being the one that lifted me up, off the dusty ground. For being the one that convinced me to try One. Last. Time. You’re the one that warned me that life isn’t always easy. And when it wasn’t, you were the one to pick me back up, help me stand. You were always honest, and I didn’t always appreciate it then, but I have come to look back on it with a nostalgic fondness, memories of days gone by, times when it was much easier to figure things out as I went along.

You were my confidant, my companion, my teacher, and my educator. My shoulder to cry on, and my champagne to the party. The first to celebrate my successes, and ironically, the first to point out my failures. You made me a better person, a person capable of seeing the finer points in life, the smaller details. You not only taught me the subject that you loved, but you taught me how to live in a world fraught with strife. Every day, I wake up and thank my lucky stars that I had the honor of learning from you. Because, from you, I learned more than I ever thought possible. I see more than my glasses could ever correct. You turned this monochromic world into something beautiful, a place of passion and banners of color. So when you’re stuck in a slump, and I know un-slumping yourself is not easily done, remember this, “life’s a Great Balancing Act” and what you do makes tangible changes in the world! If there’s one thing I’ve learned from you, it’s that I cannot thank you enough. And remember these words of wisdom from author, Tim O’Brien, “When I write, I write not just about the world we live in, but ought to, and could, which is a world of imagination.”

Thank you.