I haven’t read the guidelines at all, so I hope that this will be sufficient.
This class has been by far my favorite class this year. I loved the atmosphere, subject matter, and your teaching. In comparison to the rigid structure of all the classes that I was in, your class was like a breath of fresh air. In your class I never felt like I had to focus on my grades, all I had to focus on was having fun with the labs and learning some fascinating material.
I learned a lot this year. I learned that I have a passion for physics. I learned things that I never would have even imagined, like the whole deal with gravity (my god that was weird). I don’t think I’ve ever had a class that made me ponder and think nearly as much as this class did. Physics is one of the most fascinating subjects I’ve ever had.
The thing that I loved most about this class was that I could move at my own pace. I could go really quickly if I understood something easily, or go much slower and do more work to try and understand if I didn’t. I could go ahead and research things outside of what we were doing in class, and be acknowledged for having done that. If I couldn’t turn in something because I was up until 6 in the morning frantically attempting to finish a project or because of personal issues, I felt like I could talk to you and that you would be understanding and allow me to turn it in late. I felt like this class really gave me the space and freedom that I needed to not only succeed, but enjoy what I was doing.
I hope this letter doesn’t seem too much like apple-polishing. Everything that I have said here is what I really feel. I really gained a lot out of this class, and I’m glad that I had you as a physics teacher, because I don’t think that I would have become nearly as interested as I am now if it wasn’t for your fun teaching and laid back classroom atmosphere. Now I know that I have definite interest in physics that I may want to continue with when I become and adult. Thanks for giving me that and for giving me a chance to shine