I had the same English teacher in seventh and eighth grade. Although she was the newest in her department, she was infamous for her lengthy assignment. Scrutinizing your projects, Ms. Breen made sure your grade truly reflected your efforts. After three years, my rosy memories have blurred together to paint a nostalgic landscape that I admire just as much as I did back then. 

Outside of the classroom, Ms. Breen has shown continuous dedication for her love for teaching through volunteering her personal time to help students achieve their academic potential. She is one of the two voluntary heads of the National Junior Honor Society and leads meetings to discuss future fundraisers. On the evening of the annual induction meeting, she decorates the auditorium with balloons so parents can proudly take post-ceremony photos of their children.

Ms. Breen was also the teacher I interviewed for my final project in Investigative Journalism. Although it was a measly school project and she had an hour-long commute at the time, she set aside an hour and a half of her time to temporarily transform into my interviewee.

In the classroom, Ms. Breen makes learning fun through her infamous Fresh Ink Fridays, a weekly occurrence to creatively write in any genre you choose. At the end of seventh grade, I received her feedback on my piece– I could tell she read my whole 30-page document because of her prediction in a private comment. In eighth grade, she asked if I continued that short story because she thought the story “had immense potential” and was “well fleshed out for your age.” Her ability to recall seemingly passive details made her my favorite person in middle school.

Ms. Breen’s private comments on Google Classroom were never generic; there was never a mere “good job.” She provided substantial, qualitative feedback to everyone because she wanted students to self-improve and reflect, and to also be confident in their ideas. She once commented on one of my semester papers, saying I “expertly utilize[d] all the skills we discussed in class to make [my] paper as effective as possible,” and I was “particularly skilled at using connotative language.”

However, the most profound lesson Ms. Breen taught me was that passion drives your motivation to continue what you love, even if you momentarily lose focus on why you are pursuing something. She helped me realize anyone can become a writer as long as you have a story to share. 

It is because of her instilled confidence that I am recognized by the Scholastic Writing Awards as a Silver Key and Honorable Mention. It is because of her instilled confidence that I am published in several journals. It is because of her instilled love for literature that I am a Senior Editor for the online literary journal, Polyphony Lit. It is because of her instilled love for writing that I am here writing this essay– not because anyone forced me to, but because I’ve learned writing is my labor of love.