I trudged down the hallway, the first day of second semester, dreading the idea of new classes, a new teacher, and classmates I didn't know.  I entered a room in the middle of the school, no windows, but was met with surprise when I was in a dim room, lit with Christmas lights on the front wall. 

I examined the chairs, expecting desks, but only flexible seating.  Spinny chairs that adjust to your height, not cold hard metal.

Sometimes it's the little things.

Mrs. Miller taught health occupations, business classes, and medical terminology at Arrowhead high school.  While I was very excited for med terms, I knew the class would be a lot of work with high memorization.

She introduced herself on the first day of class, and began to go through the syllabus as all teachers do.  

As she explained how quizzes and tests were graded, she also expressed her understanding for our busy lives. She understood that we have jobs, sports, homework, and many other obligations outside of school itself.  She told us if we weren't prepared for a quiz, we could take it next class, or do a retake for vocab quizzes at any time.

While most teachers understand that high schoolers are busy, Mrs. Miller took time out of her work day to accommodate us and be there for us.

By doing this Mrs. Miller taught me to have compassion for others, even if we don’t know their situation.  She would let us retake, no questions asked, and was always there if we wanted to talk to her.  

Throughout the entire semester, and the next semester I had her for health occupations, Mrs. Miller treated students with kindness and respect.  As juniors and seniors, receiving deserved respect helps keep us going, and remind us we are people just like them.  

Her classes were always bubbly and fun, especially when she brought in her little girls dolls for presentations and demonstrations.  She makes learning fun, mixing notes in with entertaining labs, like dissecting a pickle or suturing a banana.  

She brought us extra halloween candy, and made sure our health room that we ran was fully stocked on candy for our “patients.”  She understands how to engage kids and make her class exciting, entertaining, and educational.

I trudged down the isles of her classroom on my last day in her class, sad to leave, but beyond thankful for everything I had learned.

Sometimes it's the little things.