Ms. Dixon, a dedicated and passionate teacher, has retired from West Boca. Ms. Dixon taught for thirty – eight years. Teaching is all Ms. Dixon ever wanted to do. She put everything into her job. Miguel Lopez stated that, ¨She was always trying her hardest to get students to interact and put her heart and soul into it.¨
Addison Hall said, ¨Overall, Ms. Dixon taught me how to look at the world with a different perspective. She helped me think about things more deeply–helped me to understand that there is always a deeper meaning, and that the world is not merely black or white. Not only this, she made me excited to arrive at her class. She never kept the class the same–there was always something new to look forward to when you attended her class. It is easy to say that I will never forget Ms. Dixon and her sweet heart and kind soul, as she has made me both a better writer, and a better person.¨ – Teaching can be an honorable profession. You have the ability to inspire students, and have a permanent impact on their lives. A good teacher has the ability to expand a student’s mind. Jade Shuster commented, ¨She was a great teacher and made a lot of valuable information stick in my brain for the long run, like vocabulary and important themes in works of literature. She also taught me a strong work ethic and how to critically think about and analyze works all around me.¨ Having the ability to exercise your own judgment is an invaluable skill. The fact that Ms. Dixon took the time to teach students those skills and that says a lot about her character.
Isabella Pighi explained, ¨She made English class so enjoyable. I loved walking in everyday and even though I was writing which I do not really enjoy I still was having so much fun because SHE made it enjoyable. The way she interacted with all of us was incredible, and I love that we could always talk about almost anything. She made me a better writer and helped me learn a new way of thinking by pushing me to step outside of my comfort zone. I am forever grateful for her.¨ The classroom is a place where we can confront uncomfortable, even disturbing, subjects and learn from them. This is one of the necessary, but difficult, tasks that teachers have. This job is made more difficult by strong emotions that can be evoked from certain subjects. We should appreciate that we have teachers that are willing to push through that discomfort and do their jobs well.
From what I have read, Ms. Dixon performed her job with incredible grace and kindness. Dylan Gaynor added,¨Mrs. Dixon was one of the few teachers that I felt would always come through to help me. It’s hard to pick one, but the memory I always think of was the day I had an important phone call to make during lunch. Mrs. Dixon immediately offered her classroom to me without hesitation, which she had no obligation to do. She was truly an amazing teacher, and I will always be grateful for the impact she had on me.¨ Having a kind teacher can open a student up to learning. We have all had those teachers that we never wanted to ask a question. We don’t learn nearly as much in those classes. Angel Lopez detailed that ¨Ms. Dixon made such an impact on my education she really would push us for the better and made us strive for success. While also understanding that we are people too with lifes and made sure to understand our issues, our aspirations, and talked to us, got to know us, and made us believe in ourselves, Ms. Dixon also helped me with personal issues as well as academic and she made class enjoyable where you wanted to go and didn’t want to ever miss it because you would miss so much fun! However, academically Ms. Dixon made another huge impact. She got me through my AICE exam, her tips, tricks, and crazy ideas to help us remember things helped so much. She made us better writers, better readers, and made reading fun! She also made sure to help us understand why things happened and really drove deep into each topic to learn and understand it to its fullest and I thank her for that because it allowed me to see reading a writing as something not so bad but that can be made fun under the right circumstances.¨ It is pretty incredible when someone can make a topic that some find incredibly boring, and make it fun. What a loss!
The comments from students were overwhelmingly positive. It is truly amazing the impact one person can have! We have learned that she had a significant impact on the lives of her students. Ms. Dixon’s absence is and will be felt. I think that what we all can take away from this is that good teachers should be valued, because the students lose too when a good teacher leaves. I did not know Ms. Dixon personally, but I had a couple of conversations with her close to the time she left. From those short interactions, I can say that I could sense that Ms. Dixon was a very kind individual. If someone said something negative about her, I would not believe it. Even me, who did not know Ms. Dixon, is saddened that she has retired. I think that we can all agree that we were glad to know her. I have class with some of her students who told me about the book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and I have bought a copy for myself. I would like to personally thank Ms. Dixon for introducing me to a new book! We will miss you Ms. Dixon!
