The summer has flown by and we are already beginning the next school year for 2016-2017. We are all in a frenzy preparing whether it be buying new school supplies, setting down our schedules or already needing to catch up on some sleep. All of these things may make up the back-to-school season, but we are forgetting one important element. We are forgetting how much work the teachers are putting in to welcome their new wave of fresh students.

We owe a lot to teachers; they work long hours planning their lessons, they put up with the task of grading assignments, they try to awaken the sleepy heads of their students every morning for 3/4 of the year and they have the ultimate patience to understand the most difficult of students. Most importantly, they have the job of inspiring the minds of tomorrow, preparing each student for the tools needed to get further in life.

From elementary school to high school, to college, we all remember the teachers that inspired us to go beyond what we could see for ourselves. It could be only a select few or every teacher you have had. To the few distinct teachers I know that have done this for me, I say thank you.

Thank for all those long hours you put into planning your lessons to get me excited about the subject being taught. Thank you for all the long hours you spent grading my work which may have been a bit messy. Thank you for giving up your extra time to help me grasp and concept. Thank you for all the laughs and the tears. Thank you for helping me challenge myself to go beyond what I knew I was capable of. Thank you for helping me understand the terms 'hard work' and 'perseverance'. Thank you for the homework, though, I may have complained. Thank you for making your classroom a comfortable place to learn. Thank you for the giving me the ability to realize how much I love to learn. Thank you for giving me a curiosity about what the world holds.Thank you for the study skills for the tests I have yet to take. Most of all, thank you for inspiring me to follow my dreams no matter what the cost.

Each of the teachers that inspire us, have unique features and characteristics that make them so great. It goes beyond male or female, tall or short, hair or no hair. Some may be more laid back or some may be more hands on. Some may have a sense of humor or have to be taken very seriously. Some are more inclined to put up with the excuses we students make or some may not even listen to it all. Some may lecture every single day or they switch it up on a day to day basis. Some love to make you read or make you write your heart out.

Each teacher is different. However, at the core, I think they want to inspire each and every one of us to believe in ourselves. If we can do this, we can conquer the world.

To you teachers, I know you have inspired at least one individual in your career and that is a huge accomplishment. As teachers, you were called to do a very special task, to inspire. You were meant to do this and may you continue to be blessed with your gift of teaching.

Once again, thank you for the greatness you have put into each student even when we have not realized it. You have inspired us all.

“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts. “- C.S. Lewis