Here are letters about inspiring educators from CTA’s “Thank You, Teacher!” Project. If you have notes to share, please send a copy to the “Thank You, Teacher!” Project, CTA Communications Dept., 1705 Murchison Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010, or e-mail them to Dina Martin at dmartin@cta.org.
Ellen Gervase, a retired lifetime CTA member, recently heard from Melba, a middle school student she taught during her first year of teaching in 1969. That student is now 49 and a mother of two. Gervase comments, “Her lovely note serves as a reminder to all educators that we do indeed touch the lives of our students. One may never, never know the impact teachers have on their students, unless of course they are fortunate to have a student like Melba.”
You are someone I have never forgotten. You were the best teacher I ever had, and the reason for this is because you believed in me and made me feel like I could do anything I set my mind to do. I know sometimes you might not feel like people see you that way, but just remember, you had one student who thinks the world of you.
Carol Lasquade, a counselor in the College of the Desert EOPS program (Extended Opportunity Programs and Services), is always pleased when her students continue with their education. She received a note from one of them who transferred to UC Santa Barbara and is now earning her master’s degree in psychology at Boston College. “I keep her card on my bulletin board,” Lasquade says. The student sent the note just before she graduated UCSB in 2011.
Dear Carol,
As my graduation date is approaching, I begin to think of all the people who helped me along the road, and you are one of the first persons that come to mind. You were by my side during each step of the way, and I cannot begin to explain how much that meant to me. It is because of your help that I will be pursuing my master’s degree this fall at Boston College.
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