Great teachers make a difference in young lives

Dear Editor, 

I just wanted to bring attention to an observation I made (and I’m sure others did, as well) from the article on the front page of last week’s newspaper.

The headline read “Four named top honor students at Rocky.” Something I noticed as a common contribution to their named success, in addition to their supportive parents, was the name of a teacher. What I found interesting was each student named teachers that they admired and appreciated, but all four top honor students named their math teacher, Danielle Malson.

Last week was the celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, and I cannot think of a better accomplishment than having 100% of the top four honor students mentioning your name as someone of influence to their accomplishments. If those four students all felt Mrs. Malson was a great leader in their successes, imagine how many others she has taught that feel the same and how many lives she has touched. I do not personally know any of the students that were named in the article, nor do I know Danielle as “Mrs. Malson the math teacher,” but I do know Danielle outside of teaching, and she is a wonderful person with a bright smile and caring personality.

It just made me happy to read the input of successful students. A teacher can be a very influential person in the lives of many youths, and it’s a job that, much like nursing, is made for special people. Teaching, I can only imagine, is an extremely difficult job, especially in today’s world.

It seems like they are not only expected to captivate their audience 100% of time, but also make sure the students retain the loads of information and grow as a human from their time together in the classroom. The expectations of a teacher have increased so much from what I remember, and yet the disciplines in the classroom aren’t always easy. It seems a lot of the time a teacher is also responsible for dealing with behavioral issues in addition to everything else.

I just want to congratulate the students on a job well done and Mrs. Malson for her positive influence on the lives of many students. What an accomplishment! A special thank you to all teachers. It takes a special person to do the job you do every day, and the patience you have is unmatched.

Charis Bischoff

Lovell