On Wednesday, November 25, students were getting ready for their Thanksgiving break. Ms. Peller’s art students signed on to Google Meet, getting prepared to resume working on their art projects. However, Ms. Peller had a different idea in mind for what she wanted her class to do on that day.

Ms. Peller told her art students to create a message of gratitude to any teacher of their choice. This was supposed to be written to a teacher that really changed a student’s life. She told everyone to decorate the messages with art and use their talents to make their notes appealing.

Ms. Peller states that her inspiration for this assignment was from feelings of gratitude.

“This year, I tried to look at the little things in life that make me happy and look forward to each day, because it has been such a tough year,” she reflects. “I know that it’s been a tough transition for us as teachers to go from teaching regularly to completely virtual with no face-to-face interaction.”

Thinking about the Thanksgiving mindset, she wanted students to reflect on the people who have affected them and feel gratitude.

“It honestly warmed my heart to read every single letter of gratitude!” Ms. Peller exclaims. “Even the smallest message to full-paged messages with beautiful drawings truly made my day.”

The other teachers who have received these messages were touched as well.

One teacher made the letter the background of his desktop computer.

“He started getting worried because he had too many letters, so he didn’t know how to fit them all in his background. I told him to make a collage out of them,” Ms. Peller smiles.

Katie Cooper, a Wayne Hills sophomore, reflects on writing her letter to her teacher. She took her letter-writing very seriously, making several drafts before she wrote her message.

“My heart filled up with joy, knowing that teachers are receiving the gratitude that they deserve,” Cooper says. “It’s not easy to be a teacher, so taking the time to recognize the ones who made impacts on our lives is important.”