Mrs. Nash was one of the best teachers I’ve ever had in fifth and sixth grade. She impacted me in so many ways at Clark. She introduced me to multiple fun activities and experiences. I didn’t know what to expect, but once I met her, I knew I would have so much fun. The first time I had her class, she gave us numerous opportunities to flourish in our writing. She taught us how to be confident in our writing and convey our ideas in an understandable way. Mrs. Nash was also the first person to introduce me to poetry. She always told me her favorite poet was Langston Hughes, which inspired me to find a poet that I loved. My love for poetry grew and grew as the years went on. She introduced me to one of my favorite poets, Kwame Alexander, whom we visited on a field trip. One of my favorite things about Mrs. Nash was how welcome she made me feel. Before her, I was nervous about middle school, but she assured me that everything would be just fine.

One day she had us write a poem about where we are from or what moments in our life impacted us. I worked so hard and put so much thought into my writing. We were going to present soon, and I was so nervous about speaking in front of my class that my hands were shaking. When it was my turn, she looked at me and smiled. Right away, I felt comforted and confident about my work. While I was presenting, she would nod and give me an assuring look. When I was done with my poem about where I am from, she encouraged me to write more and told me how my hard work paid off. This one moment has changed me for life because now I almost always feel confident in my writing skills. I will always know that someone believed in me or cared for my effort.

Before Mrs. Nash retired, I needed to make sure I said goodbye, or I wouldn’t have forgiven myself. I really didn’t want her to leave because she was such a phenomenal teacher. I went over to her with a big smile on my face, told her how much I appreciated her, and hugged her. She then told me about how I impacted her being a student. She told me so many words of wisdom, and that’s the moment when I started to cry. Once again, she told me everything would be fine, but I will never forget how much she impacted me. I will never forget her as the teacher that always made me feel welcome and loved.