Starting middle school, the teachers waved green pom-poms in the air, and congratulated everyone as we filed through the metal doors. Although I liked school at the time, terror reigned supreme as I walked down the mural painted hallways as the crisp smell of new pencils filled the room, leaving a burned taste on my tongue. But that changed when I entered the golden copper lockered hallway, and first met the special education teacher, Ms. Thompson.

Ms. Thompson was the sweetest lady to touch the rich soil of this planet. Her sympathetic face told the stories of wisdom from countless students before me. Personally, all my teachers were the same in regards to discussing problems, but Ms. Thompson was different. I remember one time when I was upset about something, Ms. Thompson got to the root of my problems. This advice and this much care out of someone always brightened even my most stormiest days.

Not only did her wisdom and care shine through, but so did her calming and enthusiastic voice. Everytime I heard her speak it was like a gentle breeze on the hottest day. Whenever it was congratulating me or giving me some advice, Ms. Thompson’s voice always made me feel calm and collective.

When I graduated from sixth grade, I was pretty upset, because Ms. Thompson was a caring teacher, and I would miss her advice and her sweet smile. But, I found out that she was moving along the other grades to help other kids, so occasionally I saw her. Even though I saw her for brief moments, I’ve always remembered her advice. Even those brief moments always touched my heart and the sensation was the soothing popsicle melting in my mouth. When I had her for eighth grade vocabulary, it was like a family reunion to me, where Ms. Thompson’s sweet advice would soon cleanse the easing stress and tension building up in my body.

During seventh grade, I discovered my love of theater when I was introduced into the winter musical, and ever since then, I loved theater. During the winter and spring productions in my seventh and eighth grade, Ms. Thompson would always see one of the nights, to see me. It warmed my heart that she cared about me that much. Basically, Ms. Thompson was like a mother figure to me: giving advice, helping me with problems, and just seeing me excel in everything. 

After graduating from middle school, I never forgot Ms. Thompson’s advice and courage that she gave me, like the courage for me to engage with people more. Because of Ms. Thompson, I left middle school with more friends than when I started with (which was none). Even to this day, with all the distractions of modern technology, I always remember the one teacher that stood out: Ms. Thompson.