A Thank-You Poem For My History Teacher
Dear Mrs Chan,
Thank you for all the things
You’ve clearly explained and shown
And even more for all that
You left me to find out on my own.
Thank you, when I pestered for an answer,
For standing your ground and holding firm –
I know you want me to explore
Because that’s the only way I’ll really learn.
Thank you for exposing me
To the subtleties of the English language
Certain connotations, small differences in meaning,
Always looking for the precise word, the precise usage.
Thank you for encouraging me
To abandon the cowardly-conventional view
To look for something
I believe in, something new.
Thank you for all the sour, unapproving frowns
You shot, threw, thrusted and sent my way
They worked wonders
To keep my illogical misconceptions at bay.
Thank you for your aptly-set standards –
A challenging but never impossibly-high wall.
You make me love a good challenge
You make me want to give my all.
Thank you for lighting up the bulbs
In my stupid little mind
When I didn’t get it, you connected the neurons manually
And occasionally unwind.
Thank you for all that you’ve done
You make History lessons so much fun.
Thank you, Mrs Chan! You’re the BEST!
Copyright © Christy Chiang | Year Posted 2008
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