Dear Ms. Tierney,

     Thank you for being so kind, so caring, and so relatable during my senior year of high school. Being able to have a teacher who balances the academic aspects and lighter, more social aspects of class with such ease honestly made your class something enjoyable and something to look forward to in my day.

Not only did you act as an english and public speaking educator (I loved that class so much), but also as someone to go to. You accepted all of my concerns and stresses with open arms and always portrayed yourself as a shoulder to lean on. I know there had been times when I cried, got nervous, or became overly stressed out over nothing—do not worry I still do—and instead of nonchalantly pushing aside my issues with a simple “you’ll figure it out” you offered advice, shared personal experiences, and comforted me; I want you to know I appreciated that immensely.

The opposite always held true for you as well. You were a more than enjoyable person to laugh and joke with, to discuss workouts, and to agreeably brush off doing school work for that day simply because we didn’t feel like it. However, when it came to teach, guide, and assist you always proved to be determined and beyond optimistic. I had always been a strong writer, including in AP Language and Composition my junior year. You, though, you helped me to expand even further on my writing, my thinking, my presence in front of others, and my ability to portray my feelings on a paper. Now I am a freshman in college, and my english professor, Professor Freeman, always compliments my work with a great deal of gratitude. I stand up in front of class and read my work aloud with everyone showing appreciation, and in turn I give my gratitude to you.

Aside from the rigor of classes and work, college comes with a great deal of other stresses such as making schedules, deciding a major, and well you know just determining your future—no big deal. These are aspects that I am currently having a mental battle with. Do I take this breadth course or this one? Do I remain as an Exercise Science major or switch to Health and Behavior Science? What am I going to go to grad school for? What do I want my job to be? These are all questions I have been bouncing around in my head for the past week or so, and honestly it leads to nothing but even more stress and anxiety than I have.

One thing though, that I think about as I write this and explain my worries, is everything will work out in the end. You switched your major multiple times and were open enough to share those experiences with the class. Always, no matter what, you remained positive in terms of your own success and always portrayed the same attitude about ours, about mine. You always said that our presence at school would make it great, regardless of where we were. Thinking about it now, I really should try and focus on that in terms of my future and my decisions. I know everything will be okay, thank you for always reminding me that.

Thank you for being the best teacher and friend at the same time, for always showing support and guidance. I hope you are doing well, I miss you!

Always,

     Toni Abdy