To the teacher who inspired me to become a teacher:

How can one properly say thank you to the person who caused them to choose a career path? What can I say that will show my appreciation for everything you taught me? How can I show my gratitude for the teacher who sparked my love for being in the classroom enough for me to want to stay there my whole life?

Where do I even begin?

There is something different about you than all of the other teachers I have had. Your teaching style resonated with me more than any other teachers’ had before. Each teacher-student relationship is different because we all are different, and you demonstrated that you knew this through the connections you made with your class. Each of us is unique, and the connection that a teacher has with a student is never going to be the same as with another student.

With that being said, I know that we clicked like no other teacher and student had before.

Your presence in front of the class was something to admire. You always looked confident and sure of yourself, even though I know now that always being at the top of your game in front of a classroom is challenging. You smiled a lot, and that made me think of how important it is to be happy when working with children. You knew when your students were having bad days, and you cared enough to do what you could to make us feel better.

You made it seem so easy. I never considered how much hard work you put into making lesson plans, practicing your speaking skills, trying new things and grading every piece of homework and classwork we turned in.

Somehow, that makes me admire you even more.

I aspire to be a teacher just like you. I understand the time management skills that requires. I know that there will be days I will go home and cry. I believe that I will have students that, no matter how hard I try, I will not be able to reach.

Despite these things, the feeling of inspiration that I have right now is something that I want to pass onto another student.

Your kind words of encouragement made me reconsider my career choices. Even though I was in your class when I was young, I really began to think about what I wanted to do when I got older. Ever since then, the prospect of me becoming a teacher has never been negotiable. Because of you, I realized that having my own classroom is part of who I will be as a person.

You instilled a special kind of love in me: a love for learning. I loved being taught things in your class. I was taught things in your lessons, but I was also taught through your teaching style. You made me excited to learn. You instilled a feeling of diligence when you asked us to complete a task. The way you carried yourself made me think of how I was going to be in the future.

Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for taking your time to teach, plan, grade, and help us. Thank you for remaining flexible when we did not cooperate with your lesson. Most importantly, thank you for never failing to motivate your class and, as a result, me.