Last week was National Teacher Appreciation Week — a week reserved for honoring teachers around the country for the hard work and dedication they put into educating students each day.

We all can think back to one teacher who truly made our educational experience more fun and interesting.

There was that one teacher who listened to us when we were confused on something being taught or who just listened to our everyday problems and offered sound advice.

Those teachers were the ones who made our lives different. They were nice enough to share their wisdom with us and they were generous in giving us knowledge that we would hold on to for a lifetime.

Each year on National Teacher Appreciation Week, we may think about those special teachers immediately — and they deserve that. However, in years to come, try to take a step back and be thankful for all teachers everywhere.

Maybe there was an extremely hard teacher who graded tougher than others and made your life miserable in high school. Be thankful for that teacher, because they helped you become who you are today by teaching you discipline and perseverance.

Be thankful for the teacher who never handed you a better grade than you deserved. That teacher showed you that you had to work for a better grade.

And to the teacher who sent you to detention because, let’s face it, you deserved it, be thankful for them too. That teacher may have been your worst enemy at some point in time, but they also showed you that your actions create consequences.

We are proud to support teachers and we thank each one of them for what they accomplish every day — making a difference in our future.

Hannah Davis is the editor of The Charlotte Gazette. She can be reached at hannah.davis@thecharlottegazette.com.