An Ode to English Teachers

I am a big fan of teachers; their level of patience and understanding is one I can only strive to reach for. My success as a student is thanks to each and every teacher I’ve had––from a tricky math teacher to a welcoming history teacher, they have all pushed me to be who I am today. However, I truly wouldn’t be who I am, or where I am, without the English teachers who have taught me along the way. 

English has always held a special place in my heart. I believe storytelling is one of the most beautiful things humans have to offer the world. So, naturally, I’m a bit biased toward English teachers. (They’re usually my favorites.)

I remember the vibe of each of my high school English teachers’ classrooms: freshman year felt more like a free therapy session for the students and the teacher, sophomore year was the first time I began to appreciate annotations and deep-analysis, junior year was full of pop culture references, and senior year was full of comfort as I stressed out about what universities to apply to. 

English teachers were more than just the cool teacher everyone liked to eat lunch with, they really opened my eyes to potential careers. As I said before, English has always been a passion of mine, but I never truly considered it a career option until my junior and senior year of high school.

My senior year of high school was as hectic as it gets. I didn’t choose to attend DU until April 25th, and I was dealing with a course load full of honors and A.P. classes. While writing what felt like a million application and scholarship essays, I realized how much I was enjoying my time. Although I was stressed and didn’t love every prompt, I was proud of the time I dedicated to each essay and appreciative of my senior year English teacher’s guidance through it all. Mr. J helped me edit and revise each essay, as well as help me brainstorm when I felt like I didn’t have a creative ounce left in me. 

Those rough months of applications were worth it in the end! I was accepted into eight out of the ten schools I applied to, and I earned enough scholarships to attend DU without much of a financial burden. Now, I am pursuing a degree in what I love: English and creative writing. I hope that one day I’ll be able to write for fun all the time, and I have English teachers to thank for that goal. Without their influence, who knows where I’d be? 

• educators
• teacher appreciation