Every teacher has made a positive impact on my learning in some way. Whether this be genuinely teaching me, or filling my school days with laughter, I’m grateful that I struggle finding one teacher that stands out. They all have done a better job than I could’ve hoped for.

The one situation I find myself constantly thinking about was during junior year. Although personal, I can’t thank this teacher enough for helping me when they hadn’t even known my name. I had never cried and been able to open up to family members and friends, so I was oblivious to how it might feel to cry and rant to a complete stranger.

I had not known Mr. Lewandowski that well. Most of what I’d known about him was from the Key Club volunteering meetings. I knew he was always smiling and radiating positivity. Although he seemed like a kind-hearted person, he was the last person I would’ve expected to open up to most that week. He had made me realize it was okay to show you’re not okay.

After having probably the worst night of my life, I could barely make it through first hour, hiding the pool of tears uncontrollably pouring down my face. I found out my boyfriend of almost nine months had cheated and been manipulating me. I was finding it hard to come to the reality of the situation because of how well I was deceived for so long.

I’m grateful to be able to say that not many terrible things have happened to me in my life. Given this, I hadn’t known how to deal with the emotions, so they felt more terrible than anything.

I had never been upset to the point where I was able to cry at school, but on that day, no matter how hard I tried, it was impossible not to. I remember seeing the looks on people’s faces, feeling as if everyone was judging me. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to notice and ask—everyone knows that makes any bad situation worse.

Immediately after first period ended, I ran to the office with my hood down, acting like I was on my phone. The office lady said my counselor was out. This came as a relief, since the last thing I thought I needed was to talk. I told them I only needed a room to catch my breath and calm down, so they sent me into the conference room.

After 30 minutes of sobbing uncontrollably and only being able to say “what the f?”, I heard a knock on the door.

Mr. Lewandowski popped his head in and said, “Do you want to talk about it?”

I was thinking oh no, but said “sure.”

He sat down by me, tossing a small ball in the air, smiling. He told me to explain everything.

I remember saying, while wiping tears, “I know this is so dumb and dramatic.”

“No it’s not. How could you not be upset about that?”

We talked for nearly an hour. He was brutally honest and the best listener. Instead of saying things like, “there are people who have it worse” or “it’s not the end of the world” he told me, “you are going to need a lot of time to get over this, but there are things that can help you get better.” And, “yes, this is going to be hard, but it gives you a chance to focus on yourself for once.” He told me about how well using my strengths, discovering my passions, and trying new things can help me improve my well-being.

That night, I began drawing and painting again and got a membership at the gym later that week. I also decided to play lacrosse. I have stuck to going to the gym at least three times a week, drawing almost every night, and am in lacrosse four and a half months later.

I realized the person I had to thank most for listening and pushing me to become genuinely happy again at a time when I thought that was impossible was Mr Lewandowski. He helped me realize how proud I am for how I had improved myself to become mentally healthy again.  Words cannot describe the gratitude I have for Mr. Lewandowski. He deserves more recognition than he is given for going out of his way to talk to someone who he didn’t know.

Mr. Lewandowski is easily one of most, positive, thoughtful and kind-hearted people I have ever met. The honesty and words of wisdom I had received from an almost complete stranger that day had helped me in more ways than I can describe. I am now a healthy and mentally happy person thanks to Mr. Lewandowski.