Mr. Stanley

Being ten years old is supposed to be easy, but for me it wasn’t. Fifth grade is when you start discovering who your real friends are, and I learned that the hard way. What was supposed to be the easiest years of my life turned into one of the worst. But, you turned it around.

Your fifth grade classroom shaped me as a person. I will never forget walking into your class every single day, hoping to see your guitar case in the corner of the room, and beaming when it was there. Singing in your class not only helped me learn the ways of the Zhou Dynasty and how to add fractions together, but singing also taught me confidence.

Believe it or not, before your class, I was very shy. I tried to make connections to my other teachers, but I had bad experiences. My third grade teacher got me tested for ADD because she thought I talked too much and I wouldn’t pay attention to her, so I stopped trying in school. Your guitar playing made me realize that I could open up and actually be myself, and learn at the same time. After that, I didn’t care what anyone thought of my weirdness, and that helped me make the friends that I have today. 

Not only did you  give me confidence socially, but you gave me confidence academically. I was never able to write an essay or express myself in writing, but you taught me how to write confidently and from the heart. You gave me motivation to do good in school and to be who I actually wanted to be when I grew up.  When I saw you  at the pizzeria a month, I asked if you still played the guitar with your students, and you said  no. You told me  that parents complained that you weren’t being “professional” enough for a fifth grade teacher, and my heart dropped. Knowing that the new  generation will not be able to experience the growth in your class that I was fortunate enough to experience broke my heart. And  knowing that the sensitivity of this  generation was the reason is even more heartbreaking.


I just want you to know how much you’ve impacted my life. You helped me express my true personality and helped me through one of the worst friendship transitions I’ve ever had to go through. You helped me see my true potential in school and you’re the reason why I’m a science major, because you helped me see that I am smart. Who would have thought I would learn so much from someone just playing a guitar?