Teachers aren’t perfect. We can’t expect them to be. They don’t make as much money as they deserve and they most certainly don’t get treated as well as they deserve. They deal with snobby teenagers and our unhappy parents.

I’m guilty of complaining about teachers. I don’t like it if I don’t get as good of a grade as I expected, but I don’t want to put more effort into my assignments. I give teachers attitude and then get mad when they aren’t nice to me all the time. I’d also like to think that I’m pretty mild compared to other students I’ve seen.

I was one of Jane Kenyon’s students last year and I was not as nice to her as I wish I would have been. She pushed me and I did not receive it well. I gave up and I didn’t care what she wanted from me. But then I gave in. I learned from her and I grew as not only a student, but a person. And then she passed away and I never got to tell her how much I learned from her.

We don’t know what exactly our teachers go through to teach us. We don’t know that while they may be here to teach us, it’s not always their priority. Our teachers care about us an unbelievable amount, even if sometimes they seem like they’re trying to ruin our lives.

I’ve been lucky to have a plethora of supportive and amazing teachers that I can confide in when my life gets to be too much. My journalism adviser, Kristy Nyp, has played a major part in helping me getting through hard times over the last three years. She’s taught me more about life than anyone and she will continue to be a rock for me. My history teacher freshman year, Michelle [Dillard] Rico, has been an amazing help during my struggle with my eating disorder. My current AP English teacher, Brad Ficke, has become a new support for me this semester and continues to make his room a safe space for me when I’m overwhelmed.

These are just a few of the teachers that have had an amazing impact on me.