Teachers. These are the people we spend the majority of our time growing up with. They are the people we thought we hated but actually loved after it was all over with. We really appreciate the hard work teachers do to help mold our young minds. From the day we stepped through the doors on our first day of kindergarten, to the moment we will be (or already have) walking across the stage at our college graduations, we owe it to our teachers. So this is 500 words dedicated to thanking teachers; whether you are a future educator, present educator, or past, we appreciate you.

To our future teachers — thank you for choosing this path in life. It takes a special person to teach, and this is what felt right. You know what kind of an impact it will have on those you teach and whether it is with children, teenagers or adults, you will be influencing these individuals in some way. How incredible is that? All of the time you are devoting to studying, classroom experience, student teaching and so much more is going to pay off when you apply it in your classroom and your students see how much they can learn from you. The Pinterest boards, lesson plan ideas and classroom activities that you have invested time in will not go to waste! You will soon be able to use these, and once you walk across that stage at your college graduation, a whole new world of possibilities will arise. You can do anything you put your mind to. We appreciate you.

To our present teachers -- thank you. You put endless hours into grading papers, helping students, and making sure every one of them is receiving the best education possible (even when you know you won't get paid for all of those extra hours). Without you, we wouldn't have a fun song to memorize the quadratic formula for calculus, or be able to write the best research paper known to man in English (thanks Mrs. Dye and Mrs. Miller!). We wouldn't be able to release some stress for an hour in art class or cry a little bit while watching "Selena" in Spanish class every year (thanks Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Goeller!). Even though at times what we had to do was difficult, you made it fun. You have the power to make it easier to learn. We definitely hated research papers and memorizing helping verbs, but we knew if we put the hard work into it, we would be happy in the end. Math could very easily be one of the worst subjects ever, but if you had a rhyme or tune to memorize an equation, it made it that much simpler. You've already put in the hours of studying, walked across the stage, and now you are here. Whether you've been a teacher for one year, or 30, we appreciate you.

To our past teachers — thank you. For the time you have committed to educating students. Your time has come and gone, and now it is your turn to relax. You have already devoted your time to shaping the minds of students, and you have helped them to become the individuals they are today. When you see them all grown up with lives of their own, you beam with pride and think I was their teacher. You had a huge part in the lives of so many, and now you are able to see where these lives take off. It is such a privilege to know that you were once an educator, and that you had a part in the futures of all of these people who you now see doing so many great things today. For this, we appreciate you.

This is a tribute to all of our educators, past, present and future. The appreciation for you should be endless, and so many of us definitely acknowledge that you don't receive enough of it. Every day should be Teacher Appreciation Day, and we love you for all that you do! Thank you!