When I was in sixth grade my English teacher, Mr. McMain, left a note on one of my completed assignments. “You have a gift for writing.”
I honestly don’t remember how it felt to read those words. Maybe I felt a rush of pride, or maybe I just shoved the paper into my folder and went back to passing notes or whispering with friends. It was a well-received compliment from a favorite teacher, but it meant little more at the time.
Here I am, though—twenty-ish years later—and I can honestly say I think about that comment often. As fate would have it, I now earn a living as a writer. And on the hard days, the days when I feel like throwing in the towel, I go back to those four words of encouragement—a gift for writing—and they keep me going.
Mr. McMain saw something in me all those years ago that I didn’t see in myself.
And honestly, I think that’s just what teachers do.
They speak life into their students in a way no one else can. They help them see the truth of who they are and all they have the potential to become.
Teaching isn’t for the faint of heart—that’s no secret.
It requires dedication and sacrifice, tough skin, and a tender heart.
It takes the ability to see potential in a student who others might view as a lost cause.
It demands someone so incredibly resilient and selfless that they’re willing to navigate the hard parts of the profession because they genuinely believe touching young lives is worth it all.
When I think of all the teachers who shaped my life and the ones I now see helping to mold my own kids, I can’t help but feel overwhelming gratitude.
So from all of us—your former students who became the parents of the kids you have in class now—thank you.
You spend countless hours with our babies each week lifting them up, helping them grow, and cheering them on as they reach new heights.
You’re cheerleaders and mentors. Constant, steady, and true.
Our kids internalize the things you say. Whether you realize it or not, your words seep into their hearts where they’ll stay for a long time—possibly forever.
Although it may sound cliche, it really couldn’t be more true: you are shaping the future.
And to the Mr. McMains of the world, somewhere out there, there’s a former student who still hears your voice in their head decades after they’ve stepped foot from your classroom.
Thank you for believing in all of us. Your words, both written and spoken, leave forever imprints on our hearts.
And that note you scribbled on the corner of a 12-year-old’s paper may just have changed the course of her whole entire life.
by Jessica Wanner 
by Her View From Home 
