We don't often get to hear that we made a difference in the lives of our former students, so it means a great deal when they take the time to let us know that we did. That's why we want to share this special letter that Joan received last month from a former first grader. 

Dear Mrs. Moser,

As I prepare to graduate from high school, I want to thank you for all of the help you gave me when I was in your class so many years ago. I came to you from a school where nobody could explain why I was reading below my grade level. Somehow, within a year, you had me reading Harry Potter. I don't understand how you did what you did, but I know I will be forever in your debt.

More than simply teaching me to read, you made me feel special and valued every day, and your level of love and commitment has been unsurpassed in my decade as a post-Moser student. I still remember the classroom well: the big blue sofa in the den, and the green and red rug in the middle of it, Bert and Ernie's cage in the corner, the coat rack and the sofa that it faced. I have happier, and more vivid memories of that first-grade classroom than I have of many of my high-school classes, and I expect to take the warm memories with me to college.

Next year I will be a freshman at ***** University, studying theoretical physics and literary arts (creative writing). I know I will carry with me a little bit of the gifts I received from all of my teachers over the years. You were the first person who told me I should be a writer, and the reason I wrote a novel in the 7th grade. Although I no longer want to be a professional author, I should thank you for introducing me to an art form I wasn't even capable of comprehending before entering your classroom.

Jacinta 

P.S. I don't know how to explain all the changes that have happened in twelve years. So I thought the easiest way to tell you who I am now is to show you a list of some of my favorite stories:

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
• Woman at Point Zero by Nawal el Sasdawi
• Peter and the Starcatchers by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
• Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
• The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
• Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

How much do you love that she explains whom she is now by sharing the books that mean the most to her? Extraordinary, right? What an amazing letter. I think we should let it serve as a reminder that whether or not we ever hear from our former students, what we do and how we do it really matters. We are making a difference. 

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