CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- One Olympic High School senior, Jha'liah Frierson, recently made a difference in the lives of 23 people by giving out thank you notes to each of her teachers for their hard work throughout the year.
- Frierson gave out 23 letters total.
- She was a quiet freshman who only got out of her shell because of teachers.
- Each teacher keeps his or her letter close.
Teacher Shelbi Larkin was having one of those days most teachers can relate to.
“I was having a very bad day,” said Larkin. “I woke up and I was crying because being a teacher is hard sometimes.”
However, her day changed when she got a knock on the classroom door from one of her students, Frierson.
In her hand was a letter addressed to Larkin. The letter thanked her for all of her work.
The tears from that morning were replaced with tears from a different emotion.
“I feel great reading that letter. It really makes me feel like I did a job well done for her and many other students,” Larkin said.
But Frierson didn't just write one letter. She knew there were a lot of teachers that made a big impact throughout her time in high school, so she began typing.
She gave out 23 letters. Each one was double spaced, a page long and signed.
“I felt like I had to write and express how I felt after knowing these teachers for so long, and how they've impacted my life,” Frierson said.
It wasn't something Frierson would have done a few years ago.
She was a quiet freshman who only got out of her shell because of teachers like Desmond Blackett.
“She definitely has a concern and care for all people,” Blackett said.
Each teacher keeps his or her letter close.
“I think as a teacher those are one of those things that you always want to hear from a student,” Blackett said.
In a time when teachers have more stressed than ever, a simple note can turn a bad day into one they'll never forget.
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