An Open Letter to All My Teachers

Dear every teacher I've ever had,

Thank you.

I am sitting here, at my computer, a gainfully employed member of my chosen profession, and it is all thanks to you.  Really, each and every one of you were not just helpful or instrumental, but pivotal in all my successes to date.  11 months ago, I had just graduated Ithaca College, and was preparing to head to my first post-graduate job at the Hackmatack Playhouse. That job lasted me a month, and I already had two more jobs lined up afterwards.  All I could do was marvel at how well I had been taught and trained by those people who have dedicated themselves towards making the lives of children and young adults better.  

From 1992 until 2008 I was wrapped in the protective, nurturing bubble of Waynflete School.  There, the entire faculty and staff worked tirelessly with us to instill knowledge, values, morals, and an incredible thirst for learning.  They were successful.  Thanks to the efforts of the Lower, Middle, and Upper School Teams, all of my Homestation Teachers, and Advisors, I found myself instilled with self-discipline, and pushed to explore a wide variety of interests and subjects, and always given the time to listen to my (still annoying to this day) incessant chatter.

To those of you who scolded me, I learned the important lessons of humility, and embarrassment. 

To those of you who praised me, I learned the ever-necessary lessons of self confidence, and celebration of accomplishment. 

To those of you who challenged me to think and explore beyond my comfort zones, I learned the invaluable lessons of opening my mind to the world, challenging its mores, and inspiring others to reach together beyond what we ever could believe possible.  

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