This week we wanted to publish a special letter sent by the teacher we interviewed last week, Miss Louanne Johnson. This is a journal a student gave her a few years ago. It is a beautiful example of the impact that teachers can have in their student’s lives.

Dear Miss J:

I just came back from my mom’s house where I spent the holidays. It was so great!!! She is cool, we talk for hours about her life and mine since we got separated, we did so many things together OH! And my sisters are so grown! I missed them a lot and they missed me too.

You were right miss J, my mom did love me. She told me that she had to leave because her relationship with my father was going bad and also that she thought that it would be too difficult for my sisters to grow up with just my father (I guess that happens to girls) but that my father was going to be so alone and sad if I left because I was his life.

She felt really bad for leaving me, she always wanted to go and see me but she didn’t know if I still loved her. She was as scared as I was!

Now we agreed to see each other every summer and that I can go and see her every time I want. And it is all thanks to you miss J. I was so sad for not knowing why my mom left and thinking that anyone in this world loved me, but there you were; you gave the support and attention that I thought I didn’t deserve. I knew you were lying when you told me those things you said, there was no way you knew for sure that my mom was a good mother, but if you wouldn’t have done that I will still be in pain. You gave the strength I needed, the push to decide to go and see her, the right words...but most of all, you gave me my mom back.

I will always be in debt with you miss J; you changed my life for good.

Detrick Davis