Teacher- Mrs. Jessica Allison


Most people my age believe that teachers only come to school each day to get paid and that they don’t really care about the students, but I know a teacher who truly cares and understands.

Her name is Mrs. Allison and she was my English teacher my freshman year of high school. She is an amazing teacher, woman, and just an all around amazing human being. The only way I can explain it is to tell you how it all started.

When I was in 7th and 8th grade, I was very depressed and I cut myself and was even suicidal. The only reason that I am alive today is because a teacher/counselor saved my life. She was there for me no matter what and took time away from herself, her kids, and her husband just to make sure that I was ok. She believed in me when I couldn’t even believe in myself. After that experience, I became very observant of teachers and I found better ways of getting along with at least a couple of my teachers (especially English teachers). I am a writer and so my way of getting along with my teachers, like Mrs. Allison was by talking to them about my passion for writing. I would write poetry just so that I could get feedback from them and so that they would actually notice me, since I was sort of the quiet, reserved type and I would give it to Mrs. Allison and ask her to tell me what she thought of it. At times I would thrive on what she would reply back because I wanted attention so badly. I felt as though I was screaming inside for someone to realize that I existed and the only way to get them to pay attention was to show them my intelligence. It seemed to in some way intrigue them that a student could be so mature and intelligent (not that they thought that most of the students were stupid but just that it was sometimes a little surprising for one to show it). Eventually I had figured out which teachers to talk to about my home and school problems with and which to just let ignore me. Mrs. Allison was one that I knew right away that I could talk to about anything and I just had this feeling that she would understand and LISTEN to me, which was a really big thing to me.

During the summer after freshman year, I was having some confidence and home issues and didn’t know who to talk to until I thought to myself, what about Mrs. Allison? I somehow got up the courage to email her and tell her what was going on and ask if she could help me or just show me that someone understands me and she emailed me back as soon as she could and helped me. When she explained things, for some reason, I understood them better than when someone, like my mom or one of my friends would try to do. I felt better because I felt like someone actually thought that I could succeed and have a successful rest of my life. I had never felt that way before because in my life I always thought that the worst would happen, mostly because it normally did. I never even thought that I would graduate from high school, but she gave me the strength and confidence to get to the next grade and realize that my dreams of being a successful writer could someday come true and that was truly the best lesson that any person or teacher could ever teach me. She is my hero in every way because of how she helped me. I just want her to know that she is greatly, greatly appreciated by at least one student and maybe someday others will finally understand the incredible gift of a teacher.

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