In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, the Student Voice Forum gathered stories of great teachers who imparted on their students valuable lessons and who provided much-needed support.
Taking my AP literature class my senior year, I had the mentality that I was just wasting my time. I struggled with analyzing the text, and I was not a stellar writer like my peers who sat beside me with their Ivy League acceptances.
The previous school year, I hated almost every book that I was forced to read. I thought this class would be the same, but I was mistaken.
Don’t get me wrong — the texts that I had to read for this class were difficult, but Mrs. Ayres broke it down in a different way. Beowulf was even something that I could understand with her help (and her dry sense of humor). I felt like her class was not a “busy work” course like other classes I had taken — instead, our class was exposed to a variety of literary texts through meaningful discussion.
She taught me to love books, even those out of my favorite genre. Mrs. Ayres helped her students connect with the characters off of the page. I remember reading Wit, a drama about a woman dying of cancer, and I could actually feel empathy for this literary heroine. Something I had thought to be an impossible feat had become my reality when, with her help, I was able to get a 4 on my AP exam.
She believed in me; therefore, I believed in myself. I can still recall opening that letter from the College Board and driving over to her house because she was the first person I wanted to share my news with about my passing score. As the tears streamed down my face, all I could mutter was, “thank you.”
As I wrap up my tenth year of teaching, I find myself every day trying to channel my inner “Mrs. Ayres” by forming unique connections with each student that I encounter, just like she did in her classroom. It was because of this mentor that I learned the importance of being involved in extracurricular activities, building a strong rapport with all my students, and communicating to my students that I believe in them.
The thing I admired most about Alissa Ayres was her “student first” mentality. Every decision that she made was for the benefit of students. I love how she knew each student inside and out and how she never judged anyone.
Mrs. Ayres always greets her old students with a hug, and they instantly can reminisce on their times together. The relationships she built with her students remain intact as she continues to keep in touch with them.
Years after I graduated from high school, I was diagnosed with melanoma, and when I got home from my surgery, there were flowers from Alissa Ayres with a note telling me that she was praying for my quick recovery. At this moment, I realized she still cared about me, and she still does to this day.
I will be forever grateful for my time in her classroom because she made sure that I walked out not only a better student, but also, and more importantly, a better person.
The opinions expressed on the Forum represent the individual students to whom they are attributed. They do not reflect the official position or opinion of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence or the Student Voice Team. Read about our policies.
