Editors’ Note: This is the third in a series of thank-you features to teachers who make a difference to an NWN staff member.

If you’ve ever seen Mrs. Graham in the hallway, you’d probably recognize her from her giant cup of tea in one hand and a pile of paper in the other. I would also recognize her by her kind nature and relaxed attitude.

When I took ALCUSH last year, I was elated to find out that my two teachers were Mr. Weatherington and Mrs. Graham. I had Mr. Weatherington as a teacher the previous year, and I heard nothing but great things about Mrs. Graham. I always heard that she was nice and a great teacher, but it wasn’t until I was in her class that I realized that this was in fact true. Mrs. Graham is not one to complain about her job or hand a book to her students, have them read it, write a structured essay about it, and then go home. She wants to see that her students succeed.

Mrs. Graham has a way of building a relationship with her students and connecting with them. I figured that was the case when we were assigned our first essay. It wasn’t a structured, five paragraph paper about our summer reading book, it was themed around our experiences and what we believe in as students.

“I learn so much from reading and hearing about student experiences, [so] that I am constantly challenged and learning,” Graham explained.

She’s the type of person that will truly take the time to listen to her students and learn about different cultures and backgrounds. I enjoyed being in her class because we all were given different assignments that forced us to think outside of our comfort zone. One tradition she has with ALCUSH co-teacher, Mr. Weatherington is having past students come in and share an essay or recite a poem because it gives insight to other students.

I would like to thank Mrs. Graham for having passion for work as a teacher. Not only that but she had the patience to sit down with me and go over essays, and helped me develop more as a writer. She really wants to see that her students succeed, and she believes that all students have a story and she takes the chance to listen to them. I appreciate her efforts and encouraging her students to share their stories in a welcoming environment.

Thank you, Mrs. Graham!