In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week, C2 Education has been taking extra steps to show all our #C2Teachers just how grateful we are for everything that they do.

This week, we asked some of our teachers about their experiences at C2. Not surprisingly, we learned that what our teachers love most about C2 is their students. Check out the conversations below for some great student stories from some of our top teachers around the country:

Kyle Hurford: I’d like to tell you about one of my most noteworthy students. He started coming to C2 in 10th grade in pursuit of a good SAT score. He was very opinionated and never failed to try to debate me, and I came to respect his mind and thoughtfulness even when we didn’t agree. He came in for a summer SAT class and continually worked to identify his weaknesses and improve. During this time, he also created a start-up company working on a medical project that required a great deal of programming prowess and marketing skills. With a strong college essay that we had polished together, a standout SAT score, and his own business pursuits behind him, he was well-qualified to get into Georgia Tech in 2016 and continues to make me proud. While I may have helped him along the way, his dedication and drive carried him further than the average high school student.

Sam Anderson: One student who sticks out was a student who came to us at the end of 10th grade to help bolster her math grade. She would continue to attend over that summer to begin preparation for her SAT. She started with a 1030 that, through hard work and dedication, she was able to bring up to a 1460. In her time with us, she has also worked on a total of 8 AP courses, ultimately receiving early acceptance at a 5 year occupational therapy program at the top ranked Thomas Jefferson University. She is a sweet girl, always eager to learn and explore, and one of my favorite students, even if we sometimes joke about how she wasn’t my biggest fan when she first met me.

Russell Stephen: I have developed a special relationship with one of our longest attending students. He has been studying at our center for more than ten years. Our team has constantly emphasized his need to show his work, and our efforts over the years are finally paying off. In our SAT workbook, he got stuck on a word problem, so I suggested that he sketch a diagram. He drew a square, and then right next to it, he wrote down the correct answer. At least he wrote something besides just the answer! When he moves on to the college of his dreams, the center will never be the same without him. The C2 teaching experience is rewarding in myriad ways. The opportunity to participate in the academic and personal growth of C2 students is more multi-dimensional than spending just one or two years in a classroom with a student, allowing me the good fortune of starting to work with a student in middle school, and culminating with that student bringing in a college acceptance letter. This is one reason why I treasure the C2 teaching experience.