Take the Time to Thank Your Teachers — No Matter Their Personality

As summer is starting and the school year is ending, students often take the time to thank their teachers for a great year or class. Take the time to reflect on what your teachers did for you while you were in school and thank them if you have the chance.

As a college student, it seems that I still have plenty of classes left to take and teachers to thank, but I can honestly say that I wouldn't be where I am today without the help and guidance of all my teachers up to this point.

Take these stereotyped teacher profiles and think about the teachers in your life and what you  learned from them:

1. The Intimidating Teacher

 We've all had that teacher that we didn't want because all the upperclassmen said they were scary or mean, but were they really that bad? Is it really frowned upon for a teacher to command respect and attention during class or to grade on a strict policy? When I think about it, some of my favorite teachers were the most intimidating ones. I learned more in their classes than math or English - I learned about respect, responsibility and self-motivation to name a few.

2. The Overly-Nice Teacher

This is the teacher everyone looks forward to having because an easy class + easy teacher = easy A. These teachers want the best for their students, giving them extra credit all the time or frequent participation grades. But these classes are more beneficial to students than we realize because we learn how to value assignments and prioritize. Without these laid-back teachers and classes, we would not fully understand the importance of time management. These classes act as buffers for time management, but once they're over, it's time to really get to work.

3. The Crazy Teacher

Yes, the crazy teacher. Everyone has at least one during their schooling. The teacher who tells bizarre stories and keeps weird posters or memorabilia in the classroom. The teacher who makes interesting wardrobe choices on a regular basis. The teacher who assigns really strange projects and wants you to think "outside the box" when solving problems. But these teachers remind their students that individuality is important. After all, if we were all the same, what would we learn in life?

4. The Favorite Teacher

This is the teacher that everyone loves. It doesn't matter if their class is hard, if there is homework every night, if they dress weird or if they are just strange in general, they are unanimously the favorite teacher. They're just a cool person with cool stories or fun teaching strategies. These teachers remind us that learning is not always boring, they remind us that it can actually be enjoyable to learn. More than likely, this is the teacher that always had students staying after class to talk to or get advice from because they were trusted by the students.

Think about it, the teachers in your life were probably some of the most influential people you've ever encountered. Take the time to thank them if you have the chance; thank them for what they taught you and for what you learned from them.