A Thank You Letter to My Teacher by Stephanie

A Thank You Letter to My Teacher by Stephanie - January 2025 Scholarship Essay

Thank you Mrs. Bowers. Although I had the privilege of being in your class for just one year, you will always hold a special place in my heart.

I've always considered myself a diligent student across all subjects—math, English, social studies, you name it. However, I slowly began to realize that everytime someone asked me "What's your favorite subject?" I was never able to give a genuine answer because I never had true passion for any of my classes. Once I entered my sophomore year, I chose American Sign Language 1 as my language class, primarily to fulfill my graduation requirements. This was Mrs. Bowers first year at my school, Eleanor Roosevelt, making it my first encounter with her in the school building.

The moment you walk into her classroom, it envelops you in a wave of warmth and comfort, a sensation I wish every student could experience with their teacher at least once in their educational journey. On the first day, Mrs. Bowers greeted each of us with such enthusiasm, leading us in creating “All-About You” posters, then a gallery walk of our final creations, and finished the class off with our first lesson: The Alphabet in Sign Language. And you know what? I enjoyed every single minute of it. I personally find ice breakers to be boring since most teachers make it feel like a chore. However, with Mrs. Bowers, I found myself laughing, expanding my creativity, and learning something new right from the start. This was when I realized Mrs. Bowers would be the highlight of my sophomore year.

Day by day, we would learn new vocabulary, grammatical structures, and the American Sign Language culture. There was never a dull moment in that class, not even on exam days. Did you know I happen to live near the only deaf university in the world? Gallaudet University in Washington D.C? Me neither! But thanks to Mrs. Bowers I was able to discover new things in ways I never imagined. Through her creative teaching methods, we memorized vocabulary and cultural insights about sign language with fun games like bingo, jeopardy, hand slam, and somehow she even managed to make flash cards enjoyable.

One unforgettable experience was our high school's first American Sign Language Christmas concert. We all came together to learn various Christmas songs to perform for other language departments such as Spanish, French and Japanese. The look of awe on their faces, especially our parents, was priceless. When it comes to performances, I get a little nervous, but with Mrs. Bowers presence, I felt like all of my worries were gone.

Mrs. Bowers taught me to get out of my comfort zone, embrace my mistakes while also enjoying the beauty of learning and discovery. She showed me that anyone can learn and grow if they set their mind to it. I honestly never thought I would enjoy a class as much as I enjoyed ASL with Mrs. Bowers.

Unfortunately, near the end of sophomore year my mom told me we were moving to a different area, which meant I couldn't take ASL anymore since it is not offered in my new school. I was truly heartbroken by the news because I felt like Mrs. Bowers was the only teacher I had a deep connection with. I made sure to say my goodbyes and promised I’ll continue to learn ASL journey, even if it meant learning on my own.

So, thank you, Mrs. Bowers for all of your dedication, persistence and love for your students. You showed us that discipline, learning from our mistakes, and consistency are the keys to educational success.

Most importantly: practice makes perfect.