Once in a while, a student is lucky enough to have a teacher who really loves to teach. I can spot these teachers right away because my father is one of them.

You can always tell when you have one because they stop to explain something better when they see blank stares, or they tell jokes when students look bored. Sometimes when we are burning the midnight oil at the library doing homework, we forget why we are there. We see our professors as obstacles in our way to graduation and a good future. Society blames teachers for all the problems with today's youth.

Do not be mistaken. Don't forget what kind of person it takes to be a teacher. When the rest of the modern world goes marching on, there are those who stay behind to make sure the next generation can catch up. They do this because they have faith in us, and it is rare that they receive the deserved appreciation.

Last Friday, an announcement was made in one of my classes. Our professor, who had been struggling with an illness, had passed away. The night before he died, he sat in his hospital room preparing study notes for our upcoming exam. He had been hospitalized twice this semester and lectured every day he was out.

I'm sorry I didn't get to know this man more before he died. I'm sorry I didn't appreciate the reason he had kept me up all night at the library so many times. To my professor, I would like to say thank you. Thank you for explaining things again, for making jokes, for sharing your knowledge and for having faith in us. Professor Beddini, you will be missed.