Many of us can probably name all our grade school teachers without having to think much about it. For me, that’s an easy one: Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Poole, Miss Bowman, Mrs. Jeppsen, Mrs. Parks, and the sixth-grade combination of Mrs. Eames, Mrs. Frew and Mr. Baldwin at Menan Elementary.

Through interview surveys with several teachers from a variety of schools, I gained a deeper understanding of why and how teachers truly make a difference in the lives of so many.

Take Stacy Pugh, an award-winning fifth-grade teacher in Cache County who has been teaching in a formal education setting for 17 years. She also provides civic education professional development to other Utah educators through Utah Valley University. She grew up in a home where education was valued.

“Although my mother never completed a college degree, she consistently worked hard to learn about a wealth of subjects and encouraged us to do the same,” explained Stacy. “As a result, I love learning and teaching others. I always wanted to be a teacher and would play ‘school’ with my siblings when I was young. When I married and started having children, I formed a preschool with other mothers in the neighborhood. I also have encouraged my six children to learn something new each day just as my mother encouraged me to do. I have a son with an auditory processing disorder and that inspired me to want to help others in a more formal setting.”

One of my own ninth-grade English students, Amber English, currently teaches sixth grade at Taft Elementary in Lincoln City, Oregon.

“I don’t think becoming a teacher was a conscious decision or something I sought. I just AM a teacher. I have tried over the years to get away for a variety of reasons and in different circumstances and I simply cannot NOT teach. Knowing I am literally shaping the future of this planet’s citizens is no small honor, and I am really grateful to get such an important role,” English said.

Shelby Urban from American Fork has been teaching for three years — two years as a grades K-9 PE teacher and the last year as a PE, health and nutrition teacher at Salt Lake Academy High School. For Shelby, she just wanted to teach PE because she loved exercising, playing sports and staying active. But after studying the subject, she changed her thought process.

“I ultimately wanted to change the narrative in PE, especially girls PE, away from fearing calories and needing to be skinny to being strong and powerful. I adore the opportunity to be a mentor in students’ lives. I love teaching them to enjoy physical activity and understand the importance of staying healthy. Also, I recognized that teaching PE is one of the only ways I could keep playing/running sports games in my adulthood,” Urban said.

Emily Kennedy has lived in Utah County most of her life. She has been in education for 10 years and just finished her third year teaching special education at the Dan W. Peterson School in American Fork. She didn’t expect to become a teacher, but at one point she lost her job and became a substitute teacher until she could figure out her next steps.

“As I substituted, I found a school and environment I wanted to be in all the time. Initially, I was hired as a paraeducator, and then my amazing boss took a chance on me and hired me to be a teacher,” Kennedy said.

Megan Beddes grew up in St. George but later followed her husband to the University of Wyoming. She currently lives in Omaha, Nebraska, where her husband just graduated from the Creighton School of Dentistry. She currently teaches sixth-grade math at Gretna Middle School outside of Omaha and just finished her fourth year in education. For Megan, teaching was always something she felt drawn to because of the examples around her.

“I was inspired by my mom, who loved working in education, and by my college professors who brought so much enthusiasm to their subjects. Their passion made a lasting impression on me,” she said.

A teacher for the past 29 years, Sue-Ellen Tomlinson lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho, has been married for almost 29 years and is the mother of four children. She currently teaches 11th- and 12th-grade forensic science, 10th-grade biology and 7th-grade health at Ririe Junior-Senior High School in Ririe, Idaho. She has also taught 11th and 12th grade anatomy and physiology, high school health, ecology, environmental science and career exploration. She decided to become a teacher for a few different reasons.

“One was some of the teachers that I had were inspiring. Another is that I love learning and want to share that with others. A third reason is that I love the aha moments that come with learning,” Tomlinson said.

Making a difference in teaching is commonplace in teachers’ lives. For Emily Kennedy, she had a student in her class who came with intense aggressive behaviors and psychological trauma.

“By the time her family moved and she left my class, she was a calm, happy teenager, and we hadn’t had a single incident of aggression all year. I know I was only part of that equation, and her family and care team outside of school worked really hard to get her to that place. She was a different person at the end of that two and a half years. It was incredible to watch. I am so proud of her,” Kennedy said.

Shelby Urban has had several experiences where girls opened up to her about difficulties in their life.

“Often, they just need to vent or seek advice,” she explained. “It’s those times that I feel like I’m making a difference for students. Many don’t have adults at home they can trust, so it’s a privilege to help them when they need it.”

During Megan Beddes’s first year of teaching, she worked with a group of students known throughout the district for having significant behavioral challenges. For her, it required much patience and consistency to build trust with them, and she spent a great deal of time supporting a few specific students who needed extra attention and encouragement.

“It took nearly the entire year to build a fragile relationship with these students,” Beddes explained. “I left my first year of teaching feeling drained and a bit defeated. Over the next two years, though, those students returned to visit me while they were in seventh and eighth grade. They shared their math test scores, what books they were reading, and how their weekends were. To this day, my most challenging student will still come and visit me when he has a day off from the high school. It was very rewarding to see that I had made an impact on these students and that all my effort was worth it in the long run.”

Sue-Ellen Tomlinson said making a difference can happen in so many different ways.

“I think the thing that has made me feel like I’ve made a difference was when I was teaching at the adult male prison and I had a parent approach me at graduation and tell me that she had been waiting for years for this moment when her son graduated,” Tomlinson said.

Stacy Pugh wrote that she seldom knows exactly what impact she makes in the lives of her students, although she hopes it is a positive one.

“I have had students write me later to share how grateful they were for my support and encouragement,” she said. “It has been rewarding to help students through divorce situations, cancer, learning disabilities, anxiety issues, loss of a parent and many more situations. I also cheered them on when they finally understood a concept they struggled with. In all cases, having someone who cared meant more than secular gains. Teachers often do make a difference, and I enjoy being a part of that. Currently, I teach with one of my former students. It is a joy to have her as a coworker and see that she loves her students just as I did and still do.”

Many teachers feel that much of their transition to teaching came from having amazing teachers and mentors throughout their lives.

“I had so many amazing teachers throughout my life,” Kennedy said. “They always believed in me and saw my potential, even when I couldn’t, especially Mrs. Snow, my high school chemistry teacher. I am also very grateful to the mentors and teachers that I work with now who have continued to see the best in me. I would not be here today without each and every one of them.”

Shelby Urban’s push came from a college professor who was the most intimidating person she had ever met in her life.

“She was incredibly strict. She even made us do pushups if we were late to class!” Urban said. “At the end of the semester, I had incredible respect for her and had learned more than any other class. She pushed me and taught me that sometimes being nice isn’t what students need. It’s a push to help them reach their potential.”

Sue-Ellen Tomlinson’s biggest inspiration in her life was Shirley Hunter, her health occupations teacher at Bonneville High School. She helped Tomlinson to love learning about healthcare professions and learning how to help others. Her goal was to become a teacher like Mrs. Hunter.

All of us can remember what good teachers have done in our lives and in the lives of our siblings and children and can align with what Stacy Pugh said: “I’ve gained an appreciation for those teachers who cared for my children as if they were their own and those teachers who pushed my children to reach their potential, even when that was hard. I think most teachers are in it to make the world a better place.”

Amber English said, “I’m sure I have never expressed my gratitude to you for being there for me when I needed someone to see and hear me. Thank you. When anyone is ever reminiscing about teachers they feel mattered to their life, your face is always one that comes to mind.”

If you had a teacher who made a difference in your life, please reach out and thank them!