Ms. Erin: An Appreciation
By Nicole Adams
When Ms. Erin first arrived at Alsion to teach seventh and eighth grade English, I wasn’t surprised to find myself soon reading short stories and discussing educational literature with her alongside my older peers. Entering Alsion was supposed to be a terrifying experience, an introduction to three consecutive years of stress, repetitive assignments, and dry conversation. But in a way, nothing in Ms. Erin’s class seemed entirely boring. Whether it was her sauntering into class with a “Good morning Muffins!”, singing together, or baking us cookies for the joy of it, there was never a moment where I didn’t feel appreciated, and I’m sure my classmates over the years would agree.
Ms. Erin has shown so much kindness to me, in a way that was almost entirely new, whether it was insisting she edit creative writing, being excited about our daily lives and ideas, or being optimistic and cheerful when it came to everything about life. All this made my experience in her class exciting and interesting. Now that she is switching schools, I know that she will give that same, kind, caring experience to all of the children she meets there.
I know that Ms. Erin isn’t gone for good. We’ll be seeing her often but I’m still going to miss her laughing at lunchtime or our hilarious discussions and activities in English class. So now that the year is coming to a close, and the thought that she won’t be running our English class any longer sinks in, I’m forced to realize that the past three years have been wonderful. Even though I never got the chance to experience English under Mr. Robert, Ms. Michelle, or Mr. Carter, I’m still grateful that she welcomed me into her class for three consecutive years, and made me appreciate her in the same way that I’m sure she appreciates every single one of us students.
And so we wish her the best of luck in everything she does for herself and for her new students, so that she may continue to be the same, happy, smart, and caring teacher I have known for so long.