Teachers enter our lives from the very beginning. They see us more than our own family does sometimes. On our worst days and our best days, teachers remain the one steady thing we have in our lives from an early age.
Growing up, I always had such respect and admiration for my teachers. I mainly had female teachers, and seeing these strong women come to class every day wearing the cutest outfits and running their classrooms with ease always inspired me. Due to my high level of respect for them, I never got in trouble at school or even had bad grades. I was your classic goody-two-shoes because I never wanted to make my teachers’ lives any more difficult than they already were. If I ever got called out for talking or being off task, I would think about it for weeks!
As I got older, this level of respect only increased. I knew that if I ever needed anything, I always had my teachers to fall back on. The elementary school I attended had some of the best teachers I could ever imagine. Their love for teaching and their students was unmatched. It showed me how important teachers are to our society. When I was in fifth-grade, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. My school showed up for me in the best ways possible. They had a pink-out day dedicated to my mom, participated in fundraising, and were there for me in ways I will never forget.
Another memory I have from an early age is being in kindergarten and crying because I missed my mom so much. My teacher told me to draw a picture of my mom and me together. She let me lay on the comfiest pillow and gave me a CareBear to hold while I cried. She would braid my hair in the mornings, too. The impact that had on me is something that I still think about as a 19-year-old. My fifth-grade teacher took me out in the hallway one day and told me that I was better than the bad influences I was surrounding myself with. That stuck with me all the way until college! I grab lunch with my elementary school gym teacher and watch movies with my second and fourth-grade teachers whenever our paths cross.
Middle school brought me even more lovely teachers. These women were there for me through the difficult times that middle school brings. When I got an ‘F’ on a reading quiz in my seventh-grade English class, my teacher knew something was wrong based solely on my grade. I also ate lunch with my eighth-grade Algebra teacher every day because I enjoyed being around her so much. These women still comment on my Facebook posts, congratulating me on my successes as a college student!
In high school, I was able to build amazing connections with my teachers yet again. I had more male teachers as I got older. One that had possibly the biggest impact on me throughout high school was my freshman year Gym and Health teacher. I struggled a lot during my freshman year, like all of us do at that awkward time in our lives. He would always joke with me and put me in the best mood the second I stepped into his class. I remember one time, I walked into Health class with my headphones in and a sad look on my face. He immediately asked me if I was okay and assured me that any time I needed to talk, his door was always open. I felt safe in his class because the care he had for his students radiated to every inch of his classroom. Years later, I still nominate him for my county’s “Golden Apple Award”. My junior year Psychology teacher always allowed me a safe space to confide in her and helped me through relationship and friendship issues. Additionally, she was the second person my sister came out as gay to. That same year, I had an amazing teacher for AP History. I ate lunch with her every day and ranted about my life because she made her classroom such an open and safe environment.
I have come across some amazing professors here at JMU too, but I wanted to focus on sharing the impact my teachers had on me growing up. I wish I could name every teacher who has ever had an impact on me, but that list is definitely longer than just a few paragraphs summing up my gratitude for them. Teachers are the glue of our society. I would argue that their job is one of the most important ones there is. I could talk all day about how they are underpaid and extremely overworked, but I’ll save that for another time. Remember to always give your teachers the extra grace that they give you every day you enter their classroom. We all know they need it.