An Ode to An English Teacher: Sophomore Perspective

When we first walked into English class three years ago in 8th grade, we didn’t know what to expect from the new teacher, who told us to call her Mrs. A instead of Mrs. Angela Alomari, her real name. Little did we know that over the next three years, ‘Mrs. A’ would become more than just a name; it would become a symbol of comfort, happiness, and peace.

Mrs. A joined PVS as a middle and high school English teacher in the fall of 2019. For many students, her methods of teaching and creating an interactive environment made English class a much more exciting and enjoyable experience. “She taught in a way unlike any other teacher before,” said Rakan Khaled, a current sophomore. “She was my hero.”

When we learned she was leaving, our class decided to show her how much she meant to us. We knew what we had to do. Over the next few weeks, we brainstormed, planned, and discussed every single day how to make the best surprise farewell party for one of the best teachers we had ever had.

Finally, the big day came. Our entire class was hiding with the lights off, so that when she walked in we could all yell, “Surprise!”. When she first came into the classroom, tears burst to many of us, for it was a very emotional moment for us, after having come to care very much for Mrs. Angela during these past two years.

We had been working hard over the past few months to make this party special for Mrs. Angela’s final farewell. The entire classroom was beautifully decorated, with many gifts arranged in front of the room. We had organized a slideshow that was projected on the board filled with a proper agenda and schedule.

We wanted to make the event as entertaining and meaningful as possible. Some of us devised a Harry-Potter-Horror-themed play that took over a month in pre-production, production, and post-production. Others performed personal forms of concert, which made for wonderful enjoyment and nostalgia. And some of us even hosted a class-trivia game to see how well we remembered those moments we had as a class.

It was an experience filled with emotion - tears and laughter, memories and nostalgia, gratitude and love, and without a doubt, we’d do it again.