Teachers are the superheroes of the classroom. They deliver engaging presentations, put together informative lesson plans, and tirelessly dedicate their time to others, but most importantly, they play a key role in the development of their students’ lives. According to a review done by the American Educational Research Association, strong teacher-student relationships are associated with higher student academic engagement, attendance, grades, and fewer disruptive behaviors. However, this crucial relationship between teachers and students is often overlooked, and many teachers go underappreciated. To help combat this issue and shine a much deserved spotlight on these amazing educators, I asked different Whitney Young students the question “Who is a teacher you would want to give thanks to?” and included the responses down below.
The first feature comes from Whitney Young’s very own Art Department: Ms Wax! In my experience, I have been met with nothing but kindness from Ms. Wax, and her imagination inspires me. Zoya Ishtiaq agrees, responding to my question by saying, “I love having Ms. Wax as a teacher because she’s so nice and helps me explore my creative side in a relaxing environment.”
Arushi Virmani sends her appreciation to Mr. Tavolacci from the English Department saying, “Mr. Tavo is one of my favorite teachers because no matter what, he always has a positive attitude towards his students.” Martin Moy also values the work done by the teachers in the English Department, especially when it comes to Mr. McCarthy. “Mr. McCarthy is a really chill teacher and I appreciated the way he taught his class,” Martin responded.
Whitney Young’s Computer Science Department also gets a lot of love from students. Catherine Xu in particular wanted to give a shout out to Doc Mo. “I like how real Doc Mo is with his students. He’s also a really good teacher,” she responded.
Finally, I would like to give an appreciation of my own. Ms. Pierce from the Math Department has been my teacher for half of my time at Whitney Young and not only is she amazing at what she does, but she also has taught me so much outside of the classroom, like how to let go of perfectionism. I truly believe that my relationship with her has helped me grow as a person.
There are so many more extraordinary teachers at Whitney Young that weren’t mentioned in this article, but are equally great at their jobs. In the end, I hope this goes to show how important the teacher-student relationship is, and I encourage all students to reach out to a teacher who has made a difference in their lives and tell them how much they are appreciated.
