Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Lifetime of Gratitude for a Biology Teacher


--by cabbage, posted Jul 8, 2009

It is wonderful to be in the moment and thank those around us for helping.  Sometimes, it is nice to reflect on those who have been in our lives a long time ago and whose actions or words shaped us and influenced who we are today.

One such person for me was my 7th grade biology teacher.  His class was "the one" that sparked my interest in cell biology and literally determined the course of my career from the tender age of 12.  I will never forget him. 

Well, fast-forward many years later (about 20 actually), and I was at a crossroads deciding what to do... and I decided upon teaching college biology!  I wrote my teacher a long letter, describing my career path, life choices and what I was going to do, and of course the letter was a BIG thank you note to him for getting me started.  He actually wrote back to me and said how happy he was to hear from me and he gave me updates about how he was teaching his class these days! 

It was just so amazing to reconnect with him and be able to express my gratitude for something that had happened so long ago, but which continued to inspire me.

Now when I get letters from MY students, I feel like a circle somewhere has been completed :-)  Isn't that cool?

So, thank someone from your past today!  You'll be glad (and so will they!) :-)

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Readers Comments

tressyanne wrote: cabbage~
that was such a great thing to do. we should never miss a chance to say thank you to someone.
great great post.
smiles to you.
:)tress
JuneBug wrote: YES! That IS cool!!!! You are right...A circle! I am glad you took the time to write your teacher..That makes teaching so worth while!!! :)
AURELIA wrote: What a wonderful Idea. I am glad you were able to find him and reconnect like that. Really Awesome :0) ~AUrelia
monkeyinpajamas wrote: Fantastic! What a simple and high impact route to being kind!
iferlamb wrote: Very nice! Thank you for sharing. Smiles.
anniejames wrote: Its never too late to say thank you i guess :)
Awesome deed. Annie
Smitha wrote: I've now made a list of people whome i must thank before it too late. Let me start with "thanks cabbage- you have in a whole lot of ways inspired me".

-be healthy and happy! Love, latesha
josietn wrote: That is awesome! I sent an email to my favorite teacher, her response brought tears to my eyes. She had wondered if she had made a difference to her students. :)

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