A Servant's Heart

To have a servant’s heart is to have no earthly strings attached when some level of action is taken; freely giving without expectation. -- Unknown

I wanted to take the opportunity this week to say thank you to a group of unsung heroes: the teachers. I learned yesterday that this week is Teachers Appreciation Week and I wanted to raise my flute of bubbly sparkling cider to these hardworking professionals who go to work each day with a true servant's heart.

I'd like to specifically thank a few teachers that personally affected my life in amazing ways:

To Mrs. Nichols, my AP English teacher in 11th and 12th grades:
Thank you for inspiring me to pursue a professional career in writing. You were one of the first people who really helped me believe that it was possible, (and not crazy), to chase a dream in such a nebulous and often impenetrable field. Thank you for allowing our class to read the books we wanted to read because you simply wanted us to "be inspired from within". I remember on the final day of school before graduation, you told us, "Whatever you do with your life after you leave this high school, do it with purpose. Live each day intentionally. And once in a while, pick up a book." Thank you, Mrs. Nichols. A million times, thank you.

To Mrs. Wilkerson, my 4th grade Language Arts teacher:
Thank you for making reading so much fun! I loved coming in to class each Monday morning to see the reading assignment for the week ahead, because I knew it would be fun. Thank you for encouraging us to use our imaginations in that fourth grade classroom. For letting us dress up as our favorite literary characters once a month. For buying every member of our class a journal with your own pocket money, (because the school wouldn't give you the budget to do so), simply because you wanted us to learn to write from the heart- to find our own voice and writing style. You loved to read, and trust me when I say, you made us love it, too.

To Mrs. Banning, (now Mrs. Evans), my high school History teacher:
Funny story about Mrs. Evans...she was my History teacher, but she was also the sole reason I passed algebra. I really, really struggled with algebra and the teacher I had just wasn't able to teach it in a way that I could grasp it. Mrs. Evans got wind that I was struggling with math and volunteered to help me with my homework. She actually DROVE to my house three days a week and tutored me in algebra. A history teacher taking time out of her day to help me with a subject that wasn't even in her job description.

Thank you, Mrs.Evans. Thank you for being the reason I passed algebra. Thank you for giving me the confidence I needed to overcome my fear of numbers and equations. And thank you for doing it simply because you loved to teach and couldn't stand to see any of your students struggle...even in a subject you didn't technically teach ; )

Was there a teacher that impacted your life in an incredible way? I'd love to hear about them.