Dear Mrs. Bart,

I want to thank you for making my kindergarten experience outstanding. Many times I felt down and felt unsure of my academic abilities. You believed in me and helped me throughout my kindergarten days. A few words of encouragement helped me through each day. With your help, my writing ability flourished.

From the first day I met you, I cried out of fear and unfamiliarity. You assisted me by using a calm approach. You gave me a small talk and asked about my interests. You knew drawing calmed me down the most since my sister also loved to draw. Slowly, I learned to trust you. I spent most of my days during Friday Freetime at the drawing center. Each day, I looked forward to attend my mornings at Kindergarten. You influenced me by teaching me how no one means any harm and I have nothing to be afraid of. Most importantly, you taught me to believe in myself.

During the first few days of Kindergarten you gave us writing journals. I remember you passing out the journals, and telling us to write a random story to share with the class, if we chose to. I sat at my table thinking to myself, “What am I going to write? I don’t know how.” I already felt the tears emerging from my eyes. I waited a few minutes and then decided to walk up to you. When I arrived at your desk I mumbled, “I can’t… write.” You heard me wrong so you asked me, “Oh, you didn’t get a journal? Her?” I interrupted with, “I don’t know how to write,” and then I burst out crying. I remember a student from my table saying, “Stop crying, you’re in Kindergarten now.” This only made me feel worse, causing me to cry harder. You acted calmly and asked, “Well you know how to spell your sister’s name, right?” You asked me to write all I knew, and to forget about writing a story. I remember writing simple words like, “And, The, Sister, Kelly” in no particular order. You believed in me, causing me to assure hope in myself. By mid-kindergarten I wrote complete sentences, not just words or phrases.

I admire your calming personality. In preschool, I rarely spoke; but when I entered kindergarten you broke me out of my shell. Although I remained a somewhat quiet child, I socialized more and learned how no one intended to harm me. With your kindness and encouragement you taught me to trust you. I learned to believe in myself. I cried less, and I developed a determination to learn. I felt lucky to belong in your class. From this day, on I still remember my kindergarten experience. Out of all eight grades, kindergarten remains special to me, thanks to you. I want to thank you again for making my kindergarten experience outstanding. I admire your kindness and calm attitude. You will always remain in a special place in my heart.