As you may know, this week is Teacher Appreciation Week. I have always been surrounded by teachers. Both of my parents were educators - my mother was a kindergarten and 1st grade teacher and my dad was a teacher and administrator in a high school. Growing up, I loved school and I loved my teachers. I have fond memories of one teacher in particular - Mrs. O’Neill. She taught me for both 4th and 5th grade. This is my thank you letter to her.
To read the other thank you letters to teachers, check out the links below.
Dear Mrs. O’Neill,
I hope you are doing well. I haven’t seen you in a long time, but I still have some wonderful memories of you and the two fantastic years you were my teacher.
I remember that you told us on the first day of school that you had a daughter our exact age, and it seemed like you had a bond with all of us because of that. I loved to hear your stories about her dance class or what you did over the weekend.
You showed us how music and songs are powerful teaching tools. I loved when you sang and had us sing all sorts of things, like the order of the planets. Whenever I think about it, that song immediately pops in my head to this day.
I never realized how much time you were able to take with each of us individually. I remember each of us taking a turn and going up to your desk to practice our math facts with you and have a small conversation.
I still remember getting 100% on a science test, and how you asked me what my studying strategies were in front of the class, so we could all learn from each other. I never even thought about what my strategies were, I just did them. Thanks for pointing out how important it was to know and use strategies.
I remember your gentle and good-natured ribbing about my first crush. I never realized I was so obvious. And I’ve never been more mortified because then I realized everyone knew. I put my head down. Then after a few minutes, I realized everyone else had moved on. So I did too. I picked my head up and got back to work. And I learned that while it’s uncomfortable, it’s also possible to survive embarrassment.
You made sure we learned in all sorts of ways. We did presentations - I still remember dressing as a Supreme Court Judge once. We also did fun projects in class too. I was so upset when I got chicken pox and missed the pinata week! I had been looking forward to that for so long.
I also remember when your husband died. You came back to work after a couple of weeks, and took the time to explain what happened to all of us, patiently answering our questions. I remember hugging you. And then you kept teaching.
I’m so thankful that I had you for both 4th and 5th grade. I’ve had a lot of teachers through the years, but you will always be my favorite. I knew you wanted me to succeed. And I didn’t want to disappoint you. You have such a passion for teaching kids, and it shows. You love what you do. And we as the students felt loved. Thank you for everything!
Love,
Janine
Check out letters from these other great teachers!
Thank You, Madame Obadia by No Time For Flash Cards Thank You, Miss Swett by Carrots Are Orange Thank You, Mr.Blanchard by Not Just Cute Thank You Mrs.Goetz by Thriving Stem Thank You, Mrs.Ulrich by JDaniel 4's Mom Thank You, Ms.Austin by MultitaskingMaven Thank You, Mr.Spencer by Education To The Core Thank You, Mrs.Anderson by Mac-N-Taters Thank You, Mrs. Fox, by Simply Kinder Thank You, Third Grade Team by The Educators Spin On It Thank You, Mrs.Johnson by Mrs.Jones Creation Station Thank You, Mrs. Ratto by Sparkling Buds Thank You, Mrs.Powell by elemenopkids Thank You, Mr. Brant by Bare Feet On The Dashboard Thank You, Ms.Barry by Inspiration Laboratories Thank You, Mr.Rouland by Clever Classroom
