Sharing Our Teacher Appreciation
At PledgeCents every day is Teacher Appreciation Day! Some of us are former teachers, others grew up with several teachers as role models, but we've all come together as a team because of how much we truly appreciate teachers. In honor of #TeacherAppreciationWeek, we are showing just why teachers are so important by sharing some of our team's favorite memories of the teachers in our lives.
Going into your first day of school, it's difficult to figure out what kind of teacher you are going to have and sometimes we expect the worst.
"I dreaded going into my 10th grade English class on the first day of school. English was never my best nor favorite subject and rumblings about the high failure rate on the first exam were already circulating. I could tell that my new teacher, Mrs. Sisk, was tough. I'd always been much better at Math than English and had already made up my mind that I would never need to remember lessons on old litterature or writing structure when I grew up. Little did I know how that class would change me over the span of the year thanks to Mrs. Sisk." - Ricky, Co-Founder
Teachers have a way of making an impact in their own way. Sometimes it's by showing they believe in you and refuse to give up,
"When other teachers gave into my excuses for not doing work, Mrs. Dixon did not. She was strict, but in the right way. She pushed me to challenge myself to bring my grade up in English. She would meet with me during lunch, after school, and even evenings at her house. She was, and still is, more than just a 9th grade teacher to me. She has become a great mother figure in my life and has always helped push me to be the best me, both inside and outside of the classroom. And she makes the best mexican chocolate cake!" - Andy, Co-Founder
and sometimes it's by bringing the best out of you in way that you didn't think was possible.
"Mrs. Schneider did not settle for anything less than maximum effort. After a 50-minute period in her class, you were exhausted, because it was non-stop. You had no idea who she would call on. "Kevon, where did foreshadowing for this event occur in the previous chapter?" You had no idea what question was coming next? "How is this poem, similar in style to Robert Frost's that we read last week?" This constant pushing and questioning was never pointless or used to make a student feel unprepared or inferior. At the time it felt so difficult, because I had never experienced that level of expectation before. It was not the content that was challenging, it was Mrs. Schneider's expectations. After a semester, she had not only developed my abilities to read and write, she developed a harder worker. I cannot tell you much about the content that we learned that year, but I do remember how hard Mrs. Schneider pushed us and that played the foundation for high school and college." - Kevon, Community Manager
But even with all the homework and tests, they also teach us that it's okay to have fun and not to take life too seriously!
"On the very first day of class as Mr. Roberts was taking role, he gave everyone a nickname. He called me "Low Sted" instead of Histed (my last name). The name stuck until this day... and even when I happen to run into Mr. Roberts from time to time, he still calls me by this name. It definitely made me feel welcome in his class, as he created a culture where everyone felt this way and was comfortable to share their thoughts and try new things." - Heather, Social Media Manager
"I had transferred to a new school halfway through 8th grade. It was in a new neighborhood, so there were a couple of new students every week, so luckily being the "new kid" did not last very long. Because of this constant influx of new students, Mrs. Schneider had developed a system to quickly introduce new students into the classroom to keep things moving. There were five questions on the projector that you had to get up and answer in front of the class. On my way up to answer the questions, I tripped over a backpack and knocked Mrs. Schneider's coffee over onto a stack of freshly printed packets. She could tell that I was extremely embarrassed, she looked at me, looked at the class, and simply said, "No test today!" The awkward silence and giggles quickly bursted into cheers. It definitely broke the ice for the first day." - Kevon, Community Manager
Thank you to all the teachers for everything that you do, big and small, because it really does make a difference. This week, don't forget to thank those teachers that made a difference in your life. We would love to heard your favorite memories of a teacher in your life.
If you have any questions, email us at info@pledgecents.com.
