As a little girl, third grade scared me. Thinking about getting older and the homework becoming more difficult. I remember getting ready for my first day of third grade in a panic thinking, I don't think I can go. I knew Ms. D from previous years she was my brother's teacher so I knew she a thoughtful and kind teacher. I laced up tennis shoes and walked into the car with my siblings who were excited for the first day.

My mom said, “Bye, guys. Have fun at your first day” and I was emotional after hearing my mom's voice for the last time until she picked us up. But I walked in because I didn't have another option. When I sat down in my desk, I started crying and Ms. Durand came over  to me. Her voice sounded like a mom's, short blond hair with a long skirt. Her sweet voice calmed me and I felt strong. Knowing that she cared about her students made me feel comfortable.

I heard a bell coming from down the hall. My classmates and I ran to the door to line up like soldiers, pin straight. Ms. Durand started walking to the church as we started to preparing for assembly where we pray before class starts. Trinity Academy is a school where you are never alone, teachers and students will always be there to guide you in the right direction. Ms. D consistently set an example for her students. She told us to greet adults by saying good morning or good afternoon and say please and thank you. The lesson learned from this was to treat not only your teachers with respect when your at school, but to use it when you in the real world.

Ms. Durand encouraged us to strive for more than we thought we could. As a third grade student, I was a little behind compared to the others no matter what grade I was in. She took time out of her lunch breaks to help me build my confidence in math and vocab. I became a superior student because she took the time to make me a better student.  Her love and joy made me comfortable to ask questions that I wouldn't in class. My quiet self became someone I never imagined. I would ask questions in class and talk without thinking what is everyone thinking of me.

She is the cleanest teacher  I have had. On the first day of school, she made it clear that she was a clean freak. She had hand sanitizer on her desk and wipes and made us wipe them off after lunch. She brought us white circle stickers that we put on after we three hole punched our paper. The stickers were to stop it from tearing in the binder.

Ms. Durand will forever be my favorite teacher and for this reason I have decided to become a teacher. She inspired me to love learning and I want to do the same for others.