Now that it has been 15 years since my first step into a public school, I realize just how good I had it in elementary, middle, and high school. Although I absolutely love college, when I come back home for the holidays and during the summer, I am reminded every time of how hard my former teachers work daily. During those rare visits home, I volunteer at the local elementary school that I attended years ago, and I recognize everything that I took for granted as a child.

From helping me make something incredible out of popsicle sticks and glitter to teaching me to read to helping me study for the SAT and editing my first college application essay, teachers have been the glue that held me together. I love reading because a teacher inspired me. I love writing because a teacher encouraged me. Teachers are superheroes. It may not seem that way to everyone, but they are. I am consistently amazed at how much the educators I help do for their students and how little gratitude they receive in return. It is because of this realization that I want to personally thank every teacher.

Thank you for not only giving me the gift of knowledge, but also instilling a passion for learning within me. All you were required to do was your job: tell me the standards, hope I listened, and make sure I passed standardized tests, but you did so much more than that. You saw something in me that reminded you of yourself, of when you were younger and still figuring out where you wanted your life to go. Somewhere within that reminder, you helped me realize my strengths and weaknesses, and I'm not the only student who feels this way. Me, along with so many other young adults, have a teacher or several to thank for the college major they chose. If I had not had teachers who saw the gift of writing within me and pushed, encouraged and taught me, I would not be where I am today. It is the former education given to me by primary educators that brought me to this stage of life.

Thank you for not only protecting me physically and emotionally from harm, but also teaching me that life is meant to be lived to the fullest. Because of you, I was able to run freely around the playground (and get a lot of bark stuck in my shoes) and spend the last few weeks of senior year practicing for the spring musical and planning the future with my friends. I never felt unsafe because I knew you were always there. Because of you, I truly lived. I never felt afraid, and, years later, I am thankful because all of my memories are that much sweeter when I remember how you made a way for me to dream.

And, speaking of dreams, thank you mostly for enabling me to believe that I can achieve absolutely anything that I set my mind to. I have always been determined (and a little bit stubborn), but you are the one that first led me to believe that even my craziest ideas can become a reality, if I work hard enough. Without you instilling that type of thought process within me, I would definitely not be typing this post right now. Because of you, my dreams have come true.

So, whether you're a primary educator or college professor, all of you have shown me how truly beautiful education is. Thank you for caring about me, not just my test scores. And thank you for helping me succeed, even when I thought it was impossible.