The first day at Hartland South was overwhelming. I had many emotions going into a new classroom. When I walked into the room I only recognized one person and fear began to sink in. Mrs. Pierce (my new teacher) said, “You can sit wherever you would like.” I enjoyed that there was no assigned seating. I like to believe I met my best friend that day because I was able to sit wherever.

Mrs. Pierce was the teacher who would check in everyday and make sure you were having a good day. She would always ask about your weekend or future plans. She always made me feel special and I could tell she always wanted the best for me and her students. She would always have games and activities for everything. I never found myself bored in her class.

She would let me stay in for recess if I had something to tell her or if I just didn’t want to go outside. I was shy in the beginning of the year and I liked doing things on my own, but she always pushed me to talk or get out of my comfort zone‒something past teachers never did for me. I never had felt so safe in a classroom like I did in Mrs. Pierce’s class.

I remember this one day we had a math test and I definitely didn’t feel ready. She offered me some extra help and told me to believe in myself and if I had any questions I could ask her.

Later on in the week she was handing back the test and on my paper it said, “Great job. Hard work pays off.”

She was the first teacher that I felt believed in me. She spent endless hours helping me and did everything she could to make me enjoy school. Mrs. Pierce taught me to have faith in myself and I felt like she was the one teacher who really gave me a chance.

Mrs. Pierce is so honest and would always give the best advice. She would listen to all of my drama that I had going on at school and help me through it.

So, I would like to thank Mrs. Pierce‒my 5th grade teacher for comforting me and not giving up on me. Mrs. Pierce is a teacher who made school enjoyable and fun. Everyday I would learn something new from her. She was the best teacher I ever had. To this day, I try to enjoy school as much as I can and work hard on everything I do.