How Teachers Touch Our Children’s Lives

When most people think back over their lives, they can usually think of a particularly amazing teacher who went above and beyond to give them a meaningful and long lasting learning experience. Although teachers only interact with children for a few hours a day at school, they can have an enormous impact on their lives. Great teachers really care about their students and they are invested in helping them to learn and grow. They take the time to ensure that every student is learning and engaging and when students need help the teacher will take a genuine interest in them.

Teachers can encourage students to work harder and achieve their goals, a lesson that will stay with them and benefit them at many points in their lives. If we are really lucky we will have had many teachers who have made school an interesting and exciting place to be. Those teachers will have had a passion for the subject they were teaching, as well as a genuine urge to go above and beyond to help their students.

A teacher can also be a great source of advice for a student who is making important life decisions. They can help the student to figure out career options, compete in events and pursue higher education. Also a good teacher will notice when a student is struggling and they can intervene before it is too late. The teacher will be able to assess the situation and figure out a solution.

The Story of a Teacher Who Inspired Me

There have been several teachers who have inspired me throughout my life, but one of those who stands out from the rest is my high school English and Philosophy teacher. He is a quirky, sarcastic old man with glasses, a square face and hair that has gone bright white.

In his Philosophy class he encouraged us to think for ourselves and to question everything, rather than blindly accepting everything we see and hear as true. He always told us that in philosophy it wasn’t the answers to the questions that were important, it was the act of asking the questions themselves. As I became an adult there were many situations where I had to think about what I really thought about something, working hard to disentangle my own opinion from the thoughts and expectations of society and other people in my life. Whenever those situations arose I thought back to those words and they gave me the courage to ask questions and look inside myself to find the answer.

Another important lesson came from an English class, taught by the same teacher. My writing and reading skills were always very advanced for my age, which meant that in other classes I would rest on my laurels and not try very hard while still getting good grades. While this was easy, it wasn’t helping me to grow and improve. This English teacher was a lot tougher with his grades and didn’t give out high marks easily, which made me push myself to refine my writing skills in his class. I was very proud of my results after I finished the class - he pushed me by making me want to push myself. 

Teachers Inspire Children Every Day

All over the world there are teachers who are going above and beyond the call of duty to inspire children and touch their lives in a positive way. Students who are inspired by their teachers can go on to do amazing things and years after they have graduated they will look back and see that particular teacher as the one who had gone beyond the call of duty to encourage them to love the subject, challenge themselves and succeed.

If you can think of a teacher like this in your past, it would mean a lot to them if you sent them a letter to thank them. I sent a letter to my high school Philosophy and English teacher and told him the impact he had on me, thanking him for everything that he had taught me. Teachers love what they do and are passionate about their students, so it would be incredibly meaningful to hear from someone they once taught whom they have impacted in a positive way. Why not write your teacher a letter, or even send them a small gift, to thank them for everything they have done?