Thank You Mr. Pearson

Every time I get asked, “Who was/is your favorite teacher?”, I would have my top five teachers in mind but I would always seem to put my 4th grade teacher Mr. Pearson on that #1 spot. Seems ironic how in the next few paragraphs I’ll discuss his importance in my life, but I’ve failed to keep my promise of visiting him after I exited those elementary school doors for good. 

He was fair. We were all loved and cared for in that class. We all received equal amounts of help and support. Mr. Pearson made learning fun and comforting but also challenging to make class a little more interesting. He didn’t do that kind of teaching where he reads straight off the textbook – which is a common thing some teachers like to do nowadays.

He was honest. If I didn’t do well on an assignment he’d tell me straight up on what I needed to improve on. Or if my attitude in class was unbearable, he’d tell me to fix that too. That was new to me. I was always told what I wanted to hear and never told what I needed to hear until that point. So I am forever grateful for his energy, fairness, honesty, humor, kindness, care, and knowledge. 

I am incredibly grateful for all my teachers regardless of the hours I spent completing their assignments past 12am. However, I am extremely grateful for Mr. Pearson who showed me that I’m not in fact a perfect person and that every year is an opportunity to become the best version of myself. This may all sound very deep and clichéd, but I believe it’s really important to acknowledge and appreciate the people in your childhood who impacted your life for the better.