Letters of Thanks

Every year one of the English teachers in my building asks his students to write letters of thanks to an adult in the building who has made an impact on them.    First, I am grateful and humbled to be recognized each year with at least one letter from a student. 

This year I received 6 letters from students who I did not expect would ever write to ME.

Here is a brief summary of each one:

1.  Thanks for being there for me in a time of need when I was down.

2.  Thanks for the hard work and initiative for IB at our school.

3.  Thanks for giving me a chance to participate in the IB Program.

4.  Thanks for providing a different learning experience and pushing me to challenge myself.

5.  Thanks for making class fun & being angry at us for not doing our best and showing that you care.

6.  Thanks for telling me that 9th grade could make or break me and pushing me.  I am in AP Lang!


I share this with you to say that teacher belief in students is one of the biggest motivators to student achievement and that we should never, ever downplay the kind of impact we can make on our students lives.

It is that push and encouragement that I received from the following people that propelled me here:

1.  My Family (Mom, Dad, & Grandparents)

2. My Teachers

~Mrs. Phillips from Takoma Elementary School (GT Coordinator)
~Mr. Leon, 9th Grade Geometry Teacher at Rabaut Junior High School
~Mrs. Smith, 8th Grade Biology Teacher who encouraged me with Science Fair (3rd Place)
~Mrs. Madison, 9th Grade English Teacher who pushed me to write an essay contest for Black History Month

3.  My Track Coach, Mr. Adrian Dixon at Coolidge High School (he never settled for my BS)

4.  Mrs. Hightower, the wonderful teacher for whom I student taught at Paul Junior High School