As part of Teacher Appreciation Week, the editors of The Patriot Press will be selecting a different teacher each day to recognize as one of our favorites, someone who stands out as an example of what makes some teachers so great.  

Dear Mrs. Santora,

I am so happy that I have had the privilege of being in your class for three out of my four years of high school. When I first stepped into your classroom freshman year and heard you tell the “joke of the day,” I immediately knew that I would enjoy your class. You were always so understanding and took the time to help all of the kids in our class, even the ones who were known to be trouble makers. I remember I would frequently leave early for sports games and would miss the lesson being taught that day. You always were there in the morning to help me understand what happened when I was gone.

As everyone knows, it feels like it is about 110 degrees in your room and you would always let me complain as much as I had to about the heat of the classroom, because you understood my pain. Whenever I would zone out in class you always brought me back to reality and helped me focus on the lesson. Math has never really been my strong suit. Somehow, you found a way to make me interested in learning a subject that I had so strongly resisted in past years. I am so grateful for that because without you, I would strictly be a one-sided student and would have never discovered that math really isn’t as bad as I thought it was.

Even though you are not my math teacher this year, you have still helped me a great deal. If I am ever struggling with homework during study hall, you will drop whatever you are working on and help me with whatever I need. I can’t count how many times I have come into the library confused about a lesson and you find a way to make it a whole lot clearer for me.

You always show how much you care about all of us and that is something that I will never forget. Your kindness and genuine concern for all of your students well being are traits that do not go unnoticed. The friendliness and positivity you possess set a good example for how I want to be when I grow up.

Thank you for everything, Mrs. Santora.