By Alexandra Garcia ’18
A new chapter begins when all students graduate from elementary school. This new chapter includes leaving friends and teachers but most importantly new opportunities. Some friends might follow each other and some might not, but what about student’s favorite teachers? Yes, they are left behind. This might be hard for some students because throughout the years both the teacher and student created relationships where later on it’s hard to leave each other for so long, especially if you are going into high school. The fact that Pritzker College Prep makes students do an amount of community service gives students the chance to do their hours while also hanging out with these teachers.
Mineralda Landa, a Junior, who has a strong bond with her fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Rodriguez, states, “I see [Mrs. Rodriguez] every time I go do community service at my old elementary school. If it’s not during that time, then it’s whenever the school has special events, like an assembly.” Landa takes advantage of community service to spend time with this teacher because their relationship is something that she has never had with any other teacher at West Park Academy. Landa also agrees that she can go up to Mrs. Rodriguez whenever she needs someone to talk to.
The best thing about having a relationship with past teachers is that you get invited to special events, such as a wedding. Jennifer Barajas, a Junior, states that she got invited to her sixth grade math teacher’s wedding, which she did not attend because of personal problems. Also, just like other students, Barajas meets up with this teacher when Pritzker students dismiss early on Fridays, or when she decides to do community service hours at her old elementary school.
How does it feel to have a long relationship with past teachers? This student had the longest relationship with a past teacher from elementary. Daniel Delacruz, also a Junior, had a long relationship with this teacher at John Barry Elementary School since first grade. Sadly, Delacruz had to stop seeing the teacher because it was hard to communicate with each other. He wishes to hang out with this teacher as soon as possible to catch up with school activities.
Even though high school is a big responsibility, students have created many relationships with teachers where school does not stop them from seeing people they care about. These students are great examples of appreciating teachers who have helped them be who they are today. Not only have past teachers helped Pritzker students in the past, they still do today. Knowing that they have to teach other students does not stop them from helping students they taught in the past. Pritzker has a lot of appreciative students whom we are proud to have as students and in our lives.
