Thinking back to my first day of fifth grade, saying I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. I was fearful, nervous, and unprepared. I remember coming downstairs the night before my big first day with tears in my eyes and strong hopes that my mom could comfort me. She tried, but she didn’t quite succeed. My fifth grade teacher was going to be Ms. Kreuser. I hadn’t heard much about her. I wasn’t even sure what she looked like. Going into a new year of school with skeptical, unsure feelings was far from comforting.

I walked into my class on the very first day. I looked for my friends, but didn’t see many. I saw Ms. Kreuser and thoughts flooded through my head. Would she hate me? Would she be mean? What if I have no friends? This will be a long year…

Just like the night before, tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn’t hold it together. Being a little anxious ten year old girl, I lost it. Ms. Kreuser immediately noticed and pulled me to the side. Her care and concern were clearly visible just through her eyes and the way she spoke to me. I explained to her how I was feeling, and she listened. She comforted me immediately, and when I finally settled down and the class was all ready to go, she started the day off with fun activities which put me in a much better mood. From then on, Ms. Kreuser's fifth grade class never had a dull moment. That day, and several days after, she took time out of her busy day to come check in on me to make sure everything was going well. She truly cared about me and about each and every student. It wasn’t just about teaching, and Ms. Kreuser clearly showed that.

School had always been easy for me, but getting into the higher grades was more challenging. Even though waking up early was nearly impossible for me, I got up ready and eager to learn. Ms. Kreuser’s funny stories and activities made learning fun, interesting, and worthwhile. And that is not something that every teacher is able to do.

At Merton School, the fifth grade students have the option to “loop” with their teachers which is staying with the same teacher and class in the next grade. When the time came to make this big decision, I didn’t hesitate for a single moment. I knew, without a doubt, what I would do. I was more than ready to start my sixth grade year with Ms. Kreuser, and I couldn’t wait.

Sixth grade exceeded my already high expectations. It was all that I was hoping for and more. As we got a little bit older, we also got slightly more mature. We could joke around, but we could also be serious when we needed to be. My fifth and sixth grade classes were filled with memories that will stay with me forever.

On the last day of sixth grade, I wasn’t ready to leave. Crying on the first day seemed like just a day ago, yet there I was on the very last day, with tears in my eyes yet again. It was hard coming into a new place, and it was even harder leaving a familiar one. Although it was difficult, two years with Ms. Kreuser prepared me to continue on and achieve great things.
Because of Ms. Jolie Kreuser, I’ve learned so much about myself and so much about other people. She taught me what it means to fail, to succeed, and to continue to push myself to get where I need to be. Without her, I am positive I wouldn’t have made it through the past years of high school as easily as I have.