As we celebrate teachers on the occasion of World Teachers Day, we asked our staff members to write a letter to their favourite teacher. Here’s what our colleague, Tanvi, wrote for her primary grade teacher.
Dear Phyllis Ma’am,
A very happy World Teachers Day!
I can still clearly recall the first letter I wrote to you many many years ago. Except, I was five and had just started practicing my ‘a, e, i, o, u’s. Back then, I had spelled your name in the letter as ‘Mam Filis.’ You had smiled kindly at my silly mistake before helping me with my spelling, “Phyllis begins with a P, sweetie. Look here…”
I now recognize how important these teaching moments were. You see, over the last few years, I have understood the pivotal role of foundational skills in a child’s learning journey. And now more than ever, I am able to appreciate the hard work and patience that goes into helping children acquire the basics of reading and math!
From straightening out my 6s and 9s, to helping me read my first long paragraph, you helped me lay the building blocks for lifelong learning with kind smiles and funny games. I am sure a lot of your students, such as myself carry your lessons (and nicknames) with us as we grow as learners.
Thank you so much for all you have done!
Your grateful student,
Tanvi
About the author:
Tanvi Banerjee is an Associate at Pratham’s International Collaborations team. She also supports TaRL Africa’s communications.
