In the future, there will be no printed books. There will be no newspapers, no pamphlets, no eBooks, and no iPhones. All information will be communicated through skywriting. But that is the problem of future generations, so for our own lifetimes, the value of an education is immeasurable.  

I am taking this opportunity to speak on behalf of every student who has gone through the Edina Public Schools system. I wish to thank each and every one of its employees for their contributions towards creating such an incredible environment and countless brilliant students. The quality education Edina provides to students is second to none, and its employees are the reason why. I would especially like to thank Edina’s extremely passionate and intelligent teachers. I believe that my time in the classroom over the past thirteen years has turned me into the person I am today, and I can speak for many other seniors who have expressed the same thing. After years of resenting rules, homework, and tests, it is only now that we are about to graduate that we are able to fully comprehend and appreciate the amount of effort teachers put in everyday.

But for me, personally, the teachers at Edina Public Schools have meant much more than an education and success. Every student carries their own issues. For me, that has meant many years of strife, divorce, addiction, and suicide within my family. For the past decade, the time I looked forward to most was my time at school with my friends, memes, and most importantly, my classes. The extreme passion all of my teachers exhibited for their subjects and for their students has been the single most positive influence in my life. I attribute all of my success, both as a student and as a well-rounded individual, to their unending determination. Were it not for them, I fully believe that I would be a despondent, unmotivated, and misguided person. I am not exaggerating when I say that I owe my life to my teachers. So thank you.

Seriously.

Thank you.

If you are a student who’s read this all the way through, I challenge you to thank one teacher, or perhaps many teachers from your time at Edina (or anywhere else) who you feel made a large impact you as a person or student. If you don’t thank them, they might never know.