Thank you, teachers.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week. If you’re reading this and you are a teacher: thank you. (because sometimes you just don’t hear that enough).

Some of the most important career conversations we ever have happen long before our careers even begin. Before we even know what a career is, or even how to spell ‘career.’

Wanna know what else is crazy to think about (in the best way)?

There are adults out there wandering this world with the highest levels of confidence in themselves and their work because that one teacher they had, that one time, gave them that confidence and told them that they could accomplish anything.

It sounds cheesy, but it’s true.

We talk a lot about being shaped by our parents (and we are) but we’re also shaped by the classrooms we grew up in. By the teachers who challenged us, encouraged us, and believed in us. We spend so much of our early life in classrooms. Those environments don’t just teach us subjects. They shape how we think, communicate, solve problems, build confidence, and exist in the world.

I had some great teachers.

Mrs. Harris was my introduction to elementary school. She was my teacher for two years at Bay Laurel Elementary; she taught both my Kindergarten and 1st grade class. Looking back on it, I would not be surprised if she somehow requested to have all of us again, since most of us were part of that cohort of kids who were in her class both years. Most of that group ended up growing up together; we saw each other in the neighborhood and we attended to the same middle and high school together. Our families knew each other well too; the birthdays, the school events, everything. That consistency was pretty cool.

All leading up to a few days before High School graduation, at Calabasas High, Mrs. Harris invited this cohort of kids over to her house. We arrived and I vividly remember seeing the photos laid out on her kitchen table, some of our art projects (yes, she kept them), Zero the Hero (the character she created for us when we were learning numbers, which also included her husband coming into school dressed as the character). Everything was there and it brought back so many memories. She had a special bond with this cohort of students, and it showed. And the reverse was true; we had a special bond with her. She attended our HS graduation a few days later.

My family is still in touch with Mrs./Mr. Harris today. She is no longer in the classroom but stays in touch with a handful of the families from that cohort. She was a special teacher and one I think about now and then.

Other favorite teachers of mind include:

• Ms. Boniface (now Mrs. Bloom): 3rd grade. She was warm, approachable, and created the best and safest classroom environment for us. I would end up going back to visit her often throughout middle and high school.

• Ms. Cameron: 5th grade. She was tough. And at the time, would I have called her one of my favorites? No! But she taught us to dig in and work hard. I recall the inside joke we had as a class that she would assign us so many projects. Whatever it was; research, presentations, reports, anything. Just a bunch of projects. But hey, we came out the other end better because of it. Me and my Word Art covered book reports.

• Ms. Kreycik: 10th grade English. The feelings amongst the students were mixed, but I liked her a lot. She was one of those quiet tough teachers. She wouldn’t make a big deal about pop quizzes or majorly difficult writing assignments. In fact I remember we read Moby Dick in her class. At the start of each period, she would just casually stand at the front, flip through the chapter we all were assigned and pick out something random in the book, and the question she asked was the pop quiz. No bells, no whistles, just a simple quiz question she made on the spot. And I remember her being so thorough with her essay feedback. My writing improved for sure as a result of Ms. Kreycik.

• Mrs. Castillo De Dijar: 9th grade Spanish II. She was one of those teachers that let you visit her room during lunch. She was always so welcoming to her students, but had a really good balance of setting expectations and the bar high. I appreciated that. Students felt comfortable around her yet she expected us to do well. I think she even brought her kids in one day and we got to meet them. her classroom felt like I was entering her home. She created that kind of environment.

I’ve had so many great teachers. Too many to list in this single newsletter post. I can trace so many parts of who I am today to moments that happened in a classroom; often moments that probably felt small at the time.

So for Teacher Appreciation Week: thank you to the teachers who made learning feel exciting, who pushed us to think differently, who stayed patient when things didn’t click right away (for me, that was a lot of the time), and who helped shape people long before the world ever saw their potential.

Teacher Appreciation Week is a year-round thing as far as I’m concerned, but it’s nice that we proactively have dedicated time and spaces to recognize teachers.

Which teacher(s) of yours had an impact on you? What is it about them that stood out to you?

Thanks for reading and for being here. I don’t take for granted that you care what I have to say. Or even if you don’t care, and you’re still here; thanks for being a fan anyway. ❣️

All my links are here. Let’s connect!