One of my now former students graduated on Friday. Just before graduation, she handed one of the nicest letters I’ve ever received. I am reproducing parts of her letter here, with some identifying information removed.
It’s officially graduation day. I get my chance to walk across the stage with my classmates and get ready to go on to college at [University]. But before I take my seat in the gym, before my name is called and I walk across the stage, I just want to say thank you. I wish I had joined the science team my freshman year before I had you for Physics 1… I don’t recall ever enjoying a subject as much as I did physics and you always made it so fun with your enthusiasm for teaching the subject.
Even though I didn’t get into my first choice school, I definitely want to thank you for believing in me and my abilities. Any time I mentioned it to anyone else, they looked at me like I had grown a second head, but you made me feel like I had a chance and that maybe I could actually be good enough. This mattered to me so much when I was working on the application; I put in even more effort than I would have to begin with because I knew there was at least one person who believed I had a shot and I could never thank you enough for that.
Any time I was having a bad day or something or another went haywire (per usual with my crazy lifestyle) you were always willing to talk to me and help me out, especially in instances where I had no idea where to ever start with doing something about it. Being in your class could put a smile on my face even on the worst days I had… I really can’t thank you enough for being a part of my last two years at LEHS.
I [have enclosed] an essay I wrote about you for a scholarship application. I felt like–even though it’s not my best work–you might like to read it… Have a great summer Mr. Bigler and thank you, for everything!
Here are excerpts from that essay:
When I walked into my first physics class at the beginning of my junior year, I was excited because of all the fantastic stories I had heard about Mr. Bigler’s class. Little did I know that physics would become my favorite subject because the science made sense and Mr. Bigler’s enthusiasm when he taught was contagious… He may not realize how much he has truly impacted me; he has influenced my college major as well as my young optimism that I want to help the world in any way I can….
[…]
Finally Mr. Bigler has helped me to realize the potential within myself and that I can achieve difficult goals if I truly want to. He said to me once when I mentioned wanting to be a pilot that I make very aggressive goals, but I seem very good at achieving them. He may not know it, but this statement was the final push for my confidence that I needed to start my piloting classes, and decide on aerospace as my desired engineering major. He may not know that, two years ago, I may not have had the confidence to apply to the schools that I did… He may not know that he has helped me to believe in myself and realize that I CAN do it. For this, I wish I could put into words how grateful I am to have had him as a teacher for my junior and senior years–I could never thank him enough for helping me to become who I am today.
I loved reading that letter, but even more I loved knowing that I had played a role in enabling at least one of my students to experience the feelings that the letter expressed. There is no feeling quite like that of giving someone a boost and then watching them soar, and seeing them beam with excited happiness for what they have accomplished and who they have become.
