Dear Teachers,

As students, there is nothing we appreciate more than you being willing to take the time to help us after school when we’re struggling with understanding an assignment, or when you’re willing to let us retake the latest test because we didn’t do so well the first time around (in other words, we didn’t study the first time and you’re nice enough to give us a second chance to procrastinate studying for even longer).  We love it when you laugh at the stupid jokes we make in class and let us have fun holding class discussions.  We couldn’t be more grateful for the late passes you give us at the beginning of the quarter, because it means that when we are facing a night that is too long and too hard, we can put that assignment away until the next day, when it will be easier for us to work on.  We love that you are willing to answer our questions in class and help us in any way possible, without making us feel stupid or incapable of understanding the material.

What is hard for us to accept as students is when you call on us in class and it happens to be the one question we don’t know the answer to.  Or when we’ve been up late working on an assignment and you say that it isn’t due until next time just because some of the other students didn’t finish it.  Or especially when you don’t offer extra credit and we’re .01% away from an A.

Hailey Bawden, a junior at Bingham High School, said that it’s frustrating “…when teachers aren’t clear about their deadlines, or they don’t have a clear system for finding out what I missed when I was absent.”  However, she also said “I really appreciate the teachers who take the time to listen to me and work with me when I’m struggling in class… The teachers do a great job of pushing us to strive for greater things – they encourage us to become better.”

Caroline Watson, also a junior at Bingham High School, said she appreciates that “…they try to make sure we understand what to do on homework and tests.  They do a good job of teaching us and making sure we understand or learn the subject.”

Really, we appreciate what you do for us.  We may not always show it or let you know how much everything you do means to us, but we appreciate it.  It can’t be an easy job trying to please well over a hundred students every day, and we understand that.  We truly do.  Teaching anyone isn’t an easy job, let alone full classrooms of students every day.

Our greatest hope as students is that you’ll appreciate the work we put into assignments.  It isn’t always easy for us, either – so many of us have late nights and early mornings, and we are doing our best.  So if we turn in an assignment that’s obviously been worked on only half-heartedly, it’s probably because we were up at one in the morning working on it.

We know it isn’t easy to be a teacher, and we appreciate that you are always so willing to help us out.  Thank you for everything you do for us.  We couldn’t do school without you.

Sincerely,

The Students