This retiring teacher loved her students so much she bought a billboard to tell them

Cast your mind back to your school days - remember those teachers who were just great?

The ones who left an imprint on your life, who imparted essential life knowledge and didn't tell you off too much when they caught you smoking behind the bike sheds.

It might not have felt like it at times, but the affection goes both ways.

Marian Sims, a former teacher from Lexington, Kentucky, loved her students so much she made a billboard to tell them (and the world) just that.

Picture: WKYT/screengrab

It reads:

Mrs Sims still loves you and prays for you. 

You and your families have all blessed my life in so many ways. Be safe and continue to bless this planet. Thank you and God bless you. 

Remember…

‘Love love and hate hate’

Sims told WKYT:

I put it up close to Christmas time when a lot of people are coming from far away. They have created joy in my life, my whole life. For 46 years, it has shaped who I am and what I'm about…They changed my life.

The billboard will be on the corner of Euclid Avenue and East High Street until 5 January 2017. And since it went up Mrs Sims says she has received hundreds of messages of thanks from former students.

Picture: WKYT/screengrab

Despite now being retired, Mrs Sims is still making her way to a classroom at Morehead university, "teaching teachers how to teach".

You can watch a clip of her, below:

More: These students gathered outside their ill teacher's house to sing to him

More: This teacher’s list of ‘101 ways to cope with stress’ is brilliant