Dear Ms. Landis,

Thank you so much for being you: a cheerful smile and a warm, personable presence day in and day out. You care for your students in such an intentional way and make an effort to make everyone feel welcomed, whether it be a returning alum or a student you’ve never even met before.

Thank you for teaching well. Not only do you provide a welcoming environment, but you also provide such a rich education. Your calendar is always full to the brim with resources, preparing us for the AP test as much as possible. (My friend from another school credits your MEAL Google Doc to her passing AP score.) You provide just as much to your regular classes too, preparing your freshmen for the SAT with various roots and for speaking roles with a passionate speech project. You ensure that your students are safe, explaining your technique for stopping an invader with a fire extinguisher and by breaking their nose. Even when the school is closed for a pandemic, you make sure that your students can fully understand the impact of the Holocaust through Elie Wiesel’s Night and provide in-depth analysis of Romeo and Juliet to assist students in understanding the play. And even when you need to stay home due to illness, you somehow still manage to find the energy to hop on a Google Meet to answer our questions. 

Thank you also for balancing the studious times with fun. You will forever be one of my favorite teachers, simply because of how relatable you are. You tell us stories about your family, from how you met your husband to “borrowing” your stepson’s Buzz Lightyear action figure for our benefit. Thank you for playing Wordscapes with me after school and for the memes you put in the calendar to lighten the mood. Though the exams you give are tough, the projects you assign, like the greeting cards from the Greek gods, are creative and fun. You are legendary for the inflatable flamingo suit you wore on the day of the AP and iconic for the annual costumes you wear for Halloween and Gatsby Day. And even though you woke up early to encourage and walk us to the AP test, you still performed an unforgettable celebratory dance for us to “We are the Champions” at the end of the day.

Thank you for caring for your students—generous care packages for the AP test, relaxing essential oils to calm us down, and promising us a letter of recommendation should we need one. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for being you. Landis Love forever.