Any time people mention great/ influential teachers I immediately have 2 wonderful ladies come to mind...so I'm going to tell you about them and why they rock. I dunno if they'll ever see this, but I think everyone deserves to be told how great they are and how much they are appreciated!
So first of all, there's Rachel:
When I walked into my first day of freshman Spanish class I had no way of knowing how big a part of my life this amazing woman would become. Not only did she help me discover and really cultivate my love of Spanish, she taught me so much about life. From every morning that I just sat in her classroom because I loathed the crowded commons area to all the times I just needed someone to talk to (even in the middle of summer) because I felt so alone, she was always there. The day I found out that I'd been wait listed for the only college I wanted to go to, I went straight to her classroom, letter in hand, with tear filled eyes. That's when she told me, "God's got something different planned for you." At the time, I wrote it off as one of those things that people just say to you...but I look back now and know that it was indeed the truth.Still to this day, she'll help me out with Spanish stuff or just chat with me from time to time. It's always so nice to talk to someone who has a genuine interest in your life and really wants the best for you in whatever you do. Reading over this, I realized that I really can't make you understand how thankful I am for Rachel in my life...but maybe you've been around long enough to know. She has been my friend, mentor, teacher, counselor, personal trainer, and reality check for many years and I can never thank her enough for everything.
The other educator who I can never stop thanking is Tricia:
This lady right here is amazing! She's really been a bigger part of my life after being my teacher than she ever was as my teacher...so that's kinda weird to most people, but I'm so thankful for her! First teacher I ever had in high school as she was my first block teacher...I was totally intimidated by her to tell the truth. How ridiculous of me! The year I graduated she moved to Arkansas so I pretty much figured I'd never see her again. But basically, when I came to a breaking point in my life where I was really lost, she was the first person I wanted to talk to...I had no idea why but I just really felt like I needed to get back into contact with her. I spent a whole day debating about if I should get in touch with her or not. When I did so via facebook message, I immediately thought I'd done something dumb, figuring she'd think I was crazy or something. Turns out later that night I had missed calls, texts, and fb messages from her asking what was going on and making sure I was ok. For the last year and a half or so, Tricia has been my rock. I can always talk to her about anything and everything, nothing is ever off limits. She knows my story and I know hers. There's something about a person who tells you, "You are never a bother to me, I'm always here for you. Remember that." that just makes you feel loved. It makes you feel important when someone who you know is busy takes time out for you and really does care. As is with Rach, I'm pretty sure words will never really express my continuing thanks.
So yeah, needless to say that I think teachers are fantastic! Man, what an impact they make on so many kids! How many lives do they change without knowing it? How many lives have they unknowingly saved? So here's my big thought today...think about a teacher who has impacted your life in big ways and call/ text/ email/ fb message them or whatever you have to do to get in touch with and tell them what they mean to you and thank them for all they do. Teaching isn't easy. It's long hours, terrible pay, rude parents, rude kids, nonsensical red tape...but look what a difference these people make! Truly world changers! God has blessed me with some amazing educators to help guide me through this crazy life, far more than I've mentioned here, and I can NEVER thank them enough! I'm lucky enough to have teachers who have become real friends and I know that's so rare. I don't really know how to close this out except to say please pray for the educators in this world, they have a lot on their shoulders and are unfortunately very undervalued by so many.
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