Dear Mr. X,

Before you start reading this, this is a pretty long email, so feel free to get yourself comfortable first...

I've always wanted to tell you this in person, but I never really had the courage to do so. And now that my time at _____ High School is almost up, I would still like to thank you for everything you've done for me, as you have truly changed my life in more ways than you can imagine.

I remember the first day I was in your class, I really didn't know what to expect. I've only heard small things from other students, and as far as I know, I didn't even know your name until I was put in your class (during my early years I would refer to you as "that one buff biology teacher with a bunch of tattoos"). There was a lot of mixture between being excited and nervous at the same time, but I truly feel blessed that I was given the opportunity to take one of your classes.

I never told anybody this, but during junior year, I was going through a very difficult time in my family; my mother found out she was diagnosed with early stages of cancer, and it was really hard for me to stay focused in school. It was a very stressful time for me for many reasons, but mainly because I felt so much pressure to try to make the last possible years of her life happy by getting into a good college and assuring her that I'll be okay in case she passes away early. I was having trouble sleeping (also served as some inspiration for the final project I did haha), I felt depressed, and everything really started to go downhill for me. But all of this really started to change after a few talks with you.

One of the most memorable moments from my high school career was with you. I remember taking my very first test in your class, and completely failing it horribly. I felt so stupid and ashamed of myself, and the stress from home was really putting a heavy burden on me, and caused me to perform poorly for the first month of school. But I remember you wanted to talk to me about that test I failed. At first, I was really scared that you were going to criticize me or something, especially considering how I already started to make a really bad impression of myself. But that day you told me something that I will never forget. You told me "not to worry, because you know that I put a good amount of effort into studying for this test, and that the silly numbers on a test really don't reflect how much I've learned in the class. I can simply do better on the next one." 

That week, I pretty much failed every test in all my classes from the stress, but you were the only teacher to tell me that and encourage me to continue to work hard for the rest of the year since you are already aware of my hard work ethic (which, at the time, I'm not going to lie, I found quite creepy since I barely knew you, but seemed like you've known me for ages). I felt so touched by how much you care and understand your students, especially since I've never seen a teacher care about his/her students so much. You're the first teacher I've seen that truly acknowledges the effort and dedication a student puts into learning the material of the class, and does not prioritize one's grade solely based off a test. Needless to say, I really felt the burden of trying to impress you with perfect test scores lift off my back, and I could really focus on simply learning the material to heart. It really made me think about how teachers truly do care about the growth of students as learners, helping students guide them towards a successful career path. Your words of encouragement really helped me through a difficult time period of my life, and after that talk, I was able to pick myself up and get back on track. Those few minutes of talking with you gave me the confidence and motivation to continue to work hard despite the setbacks in life, and I am eternally grateful for you helping me steer myself back in the right direction of life.

There was also another time period when I felt how supportive and caring you are towards your students. I'm not quite sure if you remember this, but one class period you handed out fliers for the SIMR summer research program at Stanford as well as brought a speaker in to talk about it, encouraging us to apply for the program. I felt quite curious about the internship, so I figured I might as well try to apply for it. I don't think I ever told you this, but with your lovely recommendation letter, I was able to get into the program, and needless to say, the program definitely changed my life. I worked alongside a professor in a research lab, and it was really awesome to apply a lot of the skills I've learned in your biology class used in a real working environment (counting cells under a microscope, using micropippetes, even performing gel electrophoresis, my favorite lab!) This experience really kindled my love and interest for science, and because of the engineering program at Carnegie Mellon, I have the choice of taking classes in 2 different engineering fields, and I know that without a doubt, I will definitely be studying biomedical engineering for one of those engineering fields.

Right around when I was applying for Carnegie Mellon, I found out that I needed to complete a second SAT II subject test in science/math in order to apply for the engineering program there. I panicked quite a bit since I only had 1 chance to take another subject test before I have to apply, so I needed to make sure I can score well on my first try. I didn't know what other subject I could take for the subject tests, but I decided to place my hope into biology. I mean, I was already taking AT Biology, Environmental Science, and I still remember a ton from your biology class and the SIMR program, so I figured that I might as well go for it. I remember that you offered classes for the biology SAT II subject test last year (which I stupidly did not go to), and I shyly asked if you still had any leftover practice tests. Even though I was afraid you'd forget about me, you gave me, literally, a huge 3" binder full of them, and needless to say, those practice tests saved my butt when I took the real test (oddly enough, I did just as well on the biology SAT II test than on the chemistry one, which I will never understand. I guess it comes to show how much I've learned from your biology class ). And with that subject test tucked under my belt, I was able to qualify for the engineering program and apply for it! 

But above all else, one of the things about you that I admire so much is the fact that you're still teaching in your current health condition. Not too long ago, I found out that you are currently diagnosed with HIV, and all I could think was "why are you still teaching right now?!?!" If I were in your shoes, I would take a break, relax more, etc., but it amazes me to see you get up every morning to do what you love the most: teach students about science. Your motivation to continue to teach despite your health condition is truly outstanding, and remains to me one of the main reasons why I admire you so much. I've seen teachers who continue to work through many difficult personal obstacles, but your determination to continue teaching is truly inspiring, and it makes me even more appreciative of your hard work and time that you put into your classes. You remain the most helpful teacher I've ever had, and your unique style of teaching changes the lives of students in more ways than you can imagine. Even though students may seem ungrateful of your efforts, know that everybody truly appreciates the time you put into making every lecture informative, interesting, and entertaining.

But I think I've rambled quite a bit now, and it's about time I end this email. Once again, I cannot thank you enough on how much you've changed my life. I speak for many students when I say that you will continue to remain an inspiring teacher deep within my heart. I'll definitely try to keep in contact with you later on, maybe send you an interesting science article I find on the internet. As for what career I will pursue in the future, who knows? There's a part of me that has always wanted to become a teacher, and seeing how you've truly changed my life definitely brought out these feelings once again. Maybe I'll end up coming back to ____ High School to teach, or maybe I'll be researching the next greatest medicine, or even designing the next Facebook. But regardless of what direction I will pursue, I know for a fact that science will remain a core value in my life. Whenever I hear the song "Grenade" by Bruno Mars (which I have pretty much memorized thanks to you playing it everyday in class...), I will always think about you, not just as the gay, buff, tattoo-loving biology teacher I had, but as the man who redefined what it means to be a dedicated teacher, and who sparked an interest in science that will stay with me for the rest of my life. 

Thank you very much for everything, and please, whatever you do, don't stop teaching!

Sincerely,

kkuan