A teacher’s job is to teach students in a particular subject and to help students reach their full potential, with the end goal of moving on to obtain a college education or having a career path in mind. When a teacher does all of the above, they are a good teacher. When a teacher goes above and beyond to help students with their educational and emotional needs, now that’s a great teacher. A teacher can change a student’s mindset. Some teachers can feel like a second (or third) parent to you. 

With all of that being said, this is exactly how students view Mrs.Wright. She is a teacher in the Business Department who teaches Leadership, Fashion Merchandising, and Intro to Business. She has single-handedly taught me the importance of trust and being trustworthy of yourself and others. No matter how upset I might be, the moment I walk into her classroom or see her in the hallways — or even just the simple thought of Mrs. Wright —  truly brings happiness to my heart. The way she treats every student with kindness and respect shows how great of a teacher and a human being she is. Mrs. Wright has taught me how to believe in myself. She teaches her students that if they put their mind to something, they can do it. She has given me the self-confidence I never was capable of having. From Mrs. Wright you can easily learn that everyone is unique and should be respected for who they are.

Mrs. Wright, who has been teaching for 16 years, uses various strategies that are engaging and educational at the same time. In her class, I feel like I can take on any job interview at any second. What she usually does in her classes is give a note packet for the unit that contains a lot of information. For example, there is a debating unit in my Leadership class. The class participates in various debates about different topics. Simply from that unit, there are many skills a student can learn, like research skills, emotional control, and improved articulation. Even though business isn’t really my thing, who knew how much the decision to take the class would change my life? I didn’t know that it would be one of the best decisions in my whole life so far. 

To Mrs. Wright: I just hope you know exactly how I feel. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for loving me for who I am. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for being my inspiration and role model. Thank you for understanding. Thank you for just genuinely caring about me. Thank you for being everything I needed in one: a teacher, parent, and friend. Thank you for motivating me on my worst days. You are more than “just a teacher” to me. You are the first-ever adult to feel like home.