Please, do not give up on your dream. Yes, I am talking to all the teachers who want to leave the field of education. You feel that if one more state test is shoved down your throat or if the standards are changed one more time, you will explode into a million pieces. I am here to tell you that I understand your pain and frustration. You feel that giving up is the easiest thing to do because you feel like you are not making a change. The thing is that you are making the biggest change in your students life including myself.

I have had teachers in elementary, middle, and high school make an impact within my life. So do not say that you are not making a change because every single teacher I have had impacted me in positive ways.

To my first and third grade elementary school teachers, Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Johnston. You showed me that it takes a special kind of person to be a teacher. You showed me that it is okay to be kind and compassionate towards people and that it is something that no one will be ever to duplicate. Your compassion and kindness made me realize that maybe I could one day be as compassionate and as kind as you are. You showed how to be kind, compassionate, and how to treat people and that is something I will never be able to repay.

To my middle school teachers, Mrs. Osborne, Mrs. Askew, Mrs. Palmer, and Mrs. Strong. You guys helped me become the person I am today. You showed me that no matter the obstacle or problem I was facing, that I can pushed through and that I will always succeed. Perseverance is something that every middle school student lacks and you all instilled this in me from day one and onward in your classes. Even when I felt like pulling my hair out when it came to figuring out cosine or even when I wanted to cry when I received constructive criticism on my paper, my perseverance is what kept me going and it is all thank to you.

To my high school teachers, Mrs. Sanders, Ms. Pereda, Mrs. Murphey, and Mrs. Donovan. Thank you so much for not giving up on me, when I lost confidence within myself. High school was a rough transition for me as it is for any student. You guys pushed me to my absolute best, and their is no way I can repay you all. You showed me that being a teacher is more that the glorified title. It takes work, a lot of work, but at the end of the day your work will pay off.

Mrs. Sanders, thank you for helping me find a voice. When I came into high school I was a shy, awkward, and lost person, who was trying to find his place in life . You help guide me and help me find who I was meant to be as a person.

Ms. Pereda, you pushed me the absolute most. You gave me the push even when I did not want it. I took your chemistry class and took that like a champion. Your physics class on the other hand was brutal. Even though it was brutal, you pushed me to my absolute best even if we had a mutual understanding by the end of the year, that physics was not my favorite subject.

Mrs. Murphey, wow. You took it upon yourself to help a person with the most horrible grammar skills and turn him into an English Education Major. You pushed me to my absolute best whether it was on the course sprinting towards the finish line or in the classroom helping me understand more literature based content. You are the reason why I want to become an English teacher. You exemplify professionalism, having an amazing heart, and just overall an amazing person. Thank you for all that you have done for me.

Mrs. Donovan, thank you for everything that you do for me. For clothing and providing me food, you are one of the most important people in my life. You push me to adult even when I feel like not being an adult. You push me and I am so apprreciatve because of that.

So, educators do not give up on teaching. You are making an impact within my life and so many other people. So do not give up because you never know what future teacher you are helping shape.

Sincerely,

From a Student Teacher