Teacher Appreciation Week: Who's Your Favorite Teacher?

We all have a favorite teacher, a person who changed our lives with encouragement, sound advice or a kind word.

For me it was Ms. Atkinson, my junior- and senior-year English teacher at . She helped develop my first love of writing and showed me a path I hadn't even considered. She also paid me one of the highest compliments I ever received as a high school student, comparing my interviews to that of another admired journalist. She was also a friend.

Fair Oaks, who is your favorite teacher? Do you know of a great educator you would like to recognize from the past or present?

May 8 is National Teacher Day, and the week of May 7 to May 11 is Teacher Appreciation Week. We want to celebrate the teachers in your life.

Here are some ways you can highlight the teachers who have impacted you or someone you know:

• Upload an essay as an announcement

• Post a photo or video tribute on this story (click Upload Photos and Videos) or in our Pics & Clips section

• Tell us in comments below how a teacher made a difference