Ms. Nikki Buchanan has been an eighth grade English teacher at Basis for over seven years. Unfortunately, she will be leaving this year due to unexpected circumstances. We would like to take a moment to reflect on everything she’s done for us. First off, she’s prepped each year’s cohort of eighth-graders for high school English which consists mostly of reading brilliant novels and getting destroyed by essays. She was also the teacher that you could always ask for help. Rather than answer your question with a sigh of annoyance, she would gladly answer your question with a smile on her face. Additionally, her personality was out of this world. It’s hard to come across such a cheerful and bubbly person in this world, and the school has been truly blessed to have her as one of their faculty members. She also helped start the Basis Bugle, and everyone at the Bugle is forever grateful for her contributions. She’s done so much and touched so many lives which is why her absence is so heartfelt. We, the Basis Bugle, want to make sure her legacy is never forgotten. As she begins a new chapter in her life, we want her to know all the impacts she has made on our lives. We would like to dedicate the rest of this piece to personal experiences that former students/faculty members have had with her.
“Ms. Buchanan was one of the most chill teachers I’ve ever met. She would always greet you with a smile and tried to make everyone’s day better. She always put up with the stuff our class would do and rarely ever had an attitude over it, which is an astounding feat, having that much patience! Always fun to talk to as well and was open with your thoughts on different matters. It was such an honor being able to know Ms. Buchanan! I’ll definitely remember her for sure.”
“Ms. Buchanan, Hope your golden years of retirement will keep you busy, fill you with joys and great memories of the impact you’ve made on all of us.”
“Ms. Buchanan, you’re an amazing teacher, especially because of your fun personality. I appreciate how much you care for and interact with each student and wish you a happy retirement. Thank You!”
“Ms. Buchanan is one of the teachers who I hold close to my heart at Basis Peoria. Her endless passion, infinite wisdom, and great humor always excited me to attend her class and engage with her. If you were to make a mistake in your writing, she would do everything in her power to help you improve while both of you have a good laugh about it. While Ms. Buchanan is a superb teacher, she is an even more incredible friend. Her personality would effortlessly light up the room, and her charming bluntness naturally further indulges you in her class. Ms. Buchanan is one of the most magnificent people I have had the pleasure of meeting, and she had a significant impact on our lives — more than she could tell.”
“When I was a freshman, I had a test to make up after school. I knew that the dean’s office would be too noisy, so I needed an empty classroom to take it. I knew exactly who to go to: Ms. Buchanan. I knew she would let me in even if she had student support, a club, or class because that’s just who she is: someone always willing to go the extra distance to help students out. Basis is losing a great person.”
“Ms. Buchanan, we will miss you when you leave. There aren’t many teachers out there who have the ability to touch people’s lives as you have. The books you teach and the lessons that we learn after being in your class is something that most people will never forget. Being in 8th grade is a monumental time in our lives, and every little thing that happens to us will probably change who we are, for better or worse. Being in your class changed me for the better. Because of your class and the books you taught, I found a love for reading and writing again. When I was in elementary school, I would read and write a lot but when I started to get older and by 6th grade, I was so busy I had to put it off. Basis was something I had to give my full attention to, and literature kind of took a back seat. At the time, literature was something I did when I had time, and I just kept putting it off. Year after year, it seemed the books I would read and the writing I accomplished was getting less and less frequent in my life. Then I went to your 8th grade English Class. With books like The Great Gatsby and The Road, I was able to fall in love with literature again which is something that I still have to this day. Because of your class, reading and writing is something that I love to do again, and for that, I just want to say Thank You.”
“I have already expressed how much I love you and how you will be sorely missed. I am forever grateful that we had an opportunity to work together, and that my kids were blessed to have you as their teacher. You are an amazing and inspirational lady, and I am grateful that I can call you friend. Best wishes for your new chapter in life! May happiness and sarcasm follow you all of your days!! Stay sassy!!”
“As a newbie teacher, I have idolized you. I told you once that I hope to be as cool of an English teacher as you one day, and that sentiment remains. I am saddened that our time working together has been cut short, but I hope you find solace in your retirement and that we can keep in touch. Your guidance from reading recommendations to just general advice has been very valuable to me, and I appreciate you very much!”
“I miss your contagious smile and your keen sense of humor. I will never forget your kind words to me when I first started working for BASIS and hardly knew anyone here. You are such a wonderful person and a talented teacher. BASIS is enduring a huge loss with your departure, and our campus will never be the same without you. Enjoy your retirement and keep in touch!”
“It has been a pleasure working alongside you with the 8th graders these last several years. You have always had the students’ best interests at heart, and they knew it. While I am sure that your replacement is a wonderful teacher, you can never truly be replaced. Enjoy your retirement and spare a thought for us every day you sleep in past the crack of dawn. You will be missed.”
“Ms. Buchanan was one of the only teachers who genuinely asked me how I felt about something and built my confidence in writing. She set me on a path that made me love reading and writing, and, honestly, she was a majority of the reason I took creative writing in ninth grade and expanded my creative outlets.”
“You were a lovely teacher, and I am eternally grateful I was in both your eighth grade English and Creative Writing class. I enjoyed them thoroughly because of the curriculum and because you’re a very fun teacher and wonderful person. Thank you for your funny comments, helpful feedback, intriguing short stories (even though someone died in most of them. I’m still not over the dog.), and the cake and bread you brought into class in the morning sometimes. I have now tried a large portion of Costco’s bakery products and regret nothing. Creative Writing was my favorite class in tenth grade and definitely one of my favorites I’ve taken in high school. It was always a positive and calming start to my day, and I am so thankful I had the chance to take it.”
“I hope you’ll be able to relax more now and read lots and lots of good books. I wish I could come in to say goodbye in person. Thank you again, and we’ll all miss you very much.”
“Smart, helpful, and fun would not be enough to express how great of a teacher she is. I am so grateful to have had Ms. Buchanan as my English teacher in 8th grade. Her positivity and encouragement of writing brightened up my day, and I would enjoy every single class period I had with Ms. Buchanan. Eighth grade was most definitely my least favorite grade, but I would always look forward to English because that class had the most fun yet academic environment. I remember reading the novel A Separate Peace, and there would be an ongoing joke in our class about how everyone would be compared to a christ figure in one way or another. Ms. Buchanan would explain the book so well to help us be successful in English which has brought me to love reading more. I will always remember attending Ms. Buchanan’s class, and she was the best teacher I had!”
“Ms. Buchanan has been one of the best English teachers I have had so far. In her class, I read one of my favorite books The Great Gatsby. Each and every book was unique, and she really brought the life out in all of them. They were a lot more fun to read with her because we spent so much time reading in class, and she made it so enjoyable. Aside from her teaching skills, she is always so sweet. Even years after being in her class, I talk to her in the hallway, and it’s like 8th grade never really went away. To this day, I still remember the fun Christmas parties we had in her class. So, thank you for making English a LOT more enjoyable and for making me fall in love with the various books we read. (Also, she has the best hair ever)”
“Ms. Buchanan is one of the largest reasons why the Basis Bugle was able to make a comeback. After the discontinuation of a Basis news source in the past, Ms. Buchanan was not ready to give up. When proposed with the idea of a new news source, she gave it her all. Ms. Buchanan gave us a chance when no other teacher would, and for that, we are deeply indebted and grateful. Thank you Ms. Buchanan!”
“Ms. Buchanan was a really special English teacher. Her 8th grade class was loads of fun, and she made the class material easy to understand and fun to read. She was always super down to earth, and her class was always lighthearted and enjoyable. She will be missed.”
“Ms. Buchanan was not only an amazing teacher but a wonderful human being and friend. Her class wasn’t like any other and allowed you to truly enjoy the wonderful literature without having to stress too much about writing assignments. Additionally, she is beyond helpful. When I wanted my essays edited, she would take time out of her personal life just to assist me. What does this say about her? She’s extremely selfless and unbelievably caring. Although she was my teacher, I consider her more as an amazing friend, and I wish the best for her as she embarks on the next stage of her life. Wherever she goes next, I know she’ll be radiating her aura of positive energy onto more people.”
