We Are Products of Our Education

All of us have experienced the education system for some period of our lives, some of us may still be experiencing it. Nonetheless, in that time we are introduced to many fellow students and teachers and to an even smaller group of educators that will forever leave an impression on our lives. I've been blessed, lucky, fortunate to have encountered a handful of truly exceptional teachers, ones that shaped me as a person.

We are the product of our experiences and the people we share these experiences with. Everything happens for a reason. We meet people at a particular point in our lives for a purpose, one that we may not understand immediately, one that may enable us to meet another person in one great chain reaction of life. The teachers I've had are no exception.

These wonderful people deserve much praise and appreciation because those truly exceptional teachers foster and inspire children to become great people. Presidents and Nobel Prize winners and good parents all had teachers of some sort. They don't even have to be school teachers (I consider my mom to be one of my greatest teachers).

Yesterday I went to lunch with five of the most influential teachers I've had. These teachers saw more in me than I saw in myself. They are the believers when others--including ourselves--count us out. (Now, I know what some of you might thinking: "Isn't that weird; I mean I don't even know if my former teachers even remember who I am." I'm here to say it is never "weird" to show your appreciation...plus I visit them all quite frequently so there's no weirdness.)

My 1st grade teacher I only had for 2 months when I first moved here, but I needed her to be my first teacher in this strange, new place because I can't imagine a kinder, more energetic, more welcoming 1st grade teacher to help me overcome my fears of the cafeteria, as illogical as they were.

My 2nd grade teacher became like an aunt, even sharing my mom's maiden name...sorta (there's only a one-letter difference). She is the type of person that even if you haven't seen her in years will pick up right where you left off.

My 6th grade teacher set me up for the rest of my secondary education; she was the first to have me tested for advanced placement. Without her confidence in me, I wouldn't have taken honors or AP, I wouldn't have received college credit in high school, and I wouldn't be graduating from college a year early.

My Junior AP English teacher showed me the truest form of hard work and dedication. She enforced the ideal that more should be expected from us as students but more importantly that we as students could rise up to meet those expectations. She makes me want to live up to my potential and be a better writer.

And of course my mom raised me into the person I am, quirks and all. Her big heart and enduring spirit is my inspiration for striving to the best I can be: to be the best friend I can be and to be the best person I can be. I could dedicate an entire blog post to this teacher of mine (and perhaps I will).

And honorable mention goes to my Freshman English teacher, a man who I regard as a father-figure in my life, a man who set me up for the rest of high school and college and fostered a love of writing that is with me to this day. If he didn't live in Oregon right now, he would have most certainly been invited to lunch, and he wouldn't even feel awkward being the only man at the table because his family is overrun with women haha.

I've had so many great teachers that have left their mark. I haven't mentioned them all, but they're out there. They've all done something, building upon what the former did. There's a designated day or week for Teacher Appreciation. But I'm here to say that everyday should be about Teacher Appreciation. Your appreciation doesn't necessarily have to be going out to lunch with them like me (because I find hanging out with grown-ups fascinating and fun). Your appreciation could be as simple as an internal reflection, realizing that you could not be a student of the universe without its teachers, that you are a product of your education.


Who are some of your most influential teachers? Are they your coach, your music instructor, your martial arts master, your grandma who taught you to use a sewing machine (mine did!)? Or is it your best friend who gave you a new hobby or taught you how to live a fuller life (my best friends did!)? Feel free to comment below.