Student struggling in school emails teacher after years, explaining how a single hug healed her

A fifth-grade student (u/sillygoosetime0264 on Reddit) was going through a tough time, being raised in a difficult household. The child was so disturbed that they had lost all self-confidence and always undervalued their skills and capabilities. Nobody believed in the child, except for a teacher, whose warmth and goodwill changed everything. Years later, the student, now a full-grown adult, wrote to their teacher, explaining how a single hug from her in the hallway made an impactful difference in their life. The student posted a screenshot of their email and the teacher's response on January 16. 

The student was always aware of the impact their teacher had on them, but for the longest time couldn't express it to her. Years later, they mustered some courage and searched for her on Google. Soon enough, they found her on LinkedIn, but again contemplated reaching out to her. Cutting through contradicting thoughts, the student finally emailed their teacher, expressing everything they had to thank her for. "I struggled a lot in school; for a long time, I didn't believe that I was smart or capable," they wrote. However, the student confessed that it was the teacher and her encouragement that motivated him to move forward despite challenges. "I remember a hug you gave me in the hallway, and the relief I felt at experiencing the warmth and love I was so desperate for at that time," they continued. The student thanked their teacher for always being present for them, knowingly or unknowingly.

Soon enough, the teacher replied, healing the little kid she hugged in the hallway all those years ago. She was overwhelmed by her student's beautiful words but refused to take any credit for what she did. The teacher explained that her student was easy to love and that they only doubted themselves without a reason. "Love yourself and then pass that love on to others; that's just what you did with your loving words to me," she wrote. 

A positive teacher-student relationship encourages learning, academic success, and overall well-being. Research led by Syed Ghazanfer Abbas wanted to use the hypothesis to see whether teacher-student interactions affects student's motivation to learn mathematics at the secondary school level. As expected, the quantitative survey with 250 school students found that positive classroom interaction plays a crucial role in motivating students to learn mathematics. Likewise, a survey of over 4,000 students from 215 schools across America identified a direct relationship between positive teacher feedback and students' self-efficacy. They found that students who received positive feedback from teachers showed significantly higher levels of reading self-efficacy than those who felt they received less positive feedback.

People were in awe seeing the student's email; for instance, u/street_roof_7915 commented, "I’m a teacher, and getting notes like this makes it all worthwhile. I compare teaching to throwing flower seeds out the window of a car while driving down the interstate.  Emails like this are like seeing the blooming flowers." u/my_okay_throwaway wrote, "She gave the perfect response to your thoughtful message. What a beautiful interaction that reminds us what life is all about. Thanks for sharing." u/cwb_writes shared, "I did this with one of the teachers who shaped me into who I am. I told him I became a math teacher, too. My 11th-grade precalculus teacher told me that I was worthy to wield his power like others have been worthy to wield Thor's hammer. It was one of the best moments of my professional career."

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