Parenting

Thread About The Impact Of Good Teachers Will Warm Your Cold, Dead Heart

by Christina Marfice
Image via Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

Read this, cry, and then send a thank you note to every great teacher you ever had

It takes so much time, work, dedication, and love to become a great teacher, and that’s part of what makes the truly impactful ones so wonderful. What’s even better is that they’re rare, yet almost everyone had at least one.

Teachers are responsible for shaping our lives at the times when we’re most impressionable, and that might be why the truly great ones leave such an impression. Think back to the really great teachers you had throughout your life. I’m sure you can remember some of the life lessons they taught you. My 7th grade English teacher, Mrs. Jonz, gave me a small piece of advice that’s stuck with me for all these years: “Life is too short to read books you don’t enjoy.” She was so right, and even today, if a book hasn’t grabbed me by the first 100 pages, it’s time to set it aside. Reading should be one of life’s most joyful experiences, and life is too short to slog through a book when there are so many out there that would bring me genuine joy.

Now, a viral Twitter thread is allowing people from all over the country to share the stories of the teachers who instilled the greatest life lessons in them. It was started by Matt Moore, who writes about the NBA for Action Network HQ, and tweeted, “What teacher made the biggest impact on you and what did they tell you that stuck with you?”

After Moore shared his stories, others started chiming in with their own. These teachers were clearly so invested in their students’ lives, and we can only hope they know how great they really are.

Story after story poured in, each was as heartwarming as the last.

So many people had their young lives shaped or changed by their teachers, and it’s enough to restore anyone’s faith in humanity, even during these trying times.

Need a minute to dry your tears? Yeah, me too.

The bottom line is that what teachers do is so damn important, and they deserve the world, because they literally give the world to their students. And while this thread is inspiring to anyone who reads it, the hope it’s giving to teachers might actually be the best thing to come out of it.

If you know any teachers, give them a hug or some other sign of thanks today, because damn, do they deserve it.