May 4, 2016
Dear Mrs. Davis,
I met you the summer after eighth grade when you taught my writing class at Belin-Blank summer camp. I desperately didn’t want to be there at the beginning, but you instantly made me feel welcome. You found out that I was going to be in your English 9 class that week. I was terrified to start high school, but yours was the one class I couldn’t wait for. I regularly refer to you as my “at-school mom.” I’ve cried in front of you more times than I care to admit, and you’re always there to comfort and listen to me.
You understand how stressed teenagers are, and you take extra care to treat your students as your own children, always keeping granola bars in your desk and giving us extensions if it’s tech week or a tennis tournament or something else that takes up all of our time outside of class. I don’t know if I’ve ever met a teacher who loves her students as much as you do. This sort of care and understanding is what makes all of us love you and your class so much.
You were so worried about me feeling self conscious about not having a boyfriend, that you took time and effort into finding a boy you thought was right for me, and you ended up setting me up with my first long-term boyfriend. Even when that relationship ended, you let me cry on your shoulder and made me feel cared about in a time of loneliness.
You know every student individually, each of their personalities, and how to help them to perform to the best of their abilities. You believe in us so much, it motivates us all to work our hardest just for you. Whenever I’m feeling bad about myself, or I feel like giving up, I just take a few minutes to find and talk to you, and I remember how much you believe in me, and I know I can keep going.
Your donation will support the student journalists of Iowa City High School. For 2023, we are trying to update our video and photo studio, purchase new cameras and attend journalism conferences.