Last night, as I was shopping for a gift for my daughter's second grade teacher, an attractive young woman smiled at me. Of course my vanity was reinforced as my step got a little quicker and I stood a little taller. Here I was, a middle-aged man still getting noticed by twenty-somethings.
However, much to the dismay of my fragile ego, this young lady was smiling at me for a much more important reason than my appearance. She turned back to find me but to tell me the most amazing thing a teacher can ever hope to hear. She thanked me for being such a great teacher. She went on to remind me who she was and that I had been her sophomore English teacher more than 4 years ago and that because of what she had learned in my class, she had continued to make A's in her English classes throughout high school and on into college. AND she attributed her success to her time in my class.
While I can't pretend to take credit for her achievements, it is an affirmation of the struggle we teachers go through year after year. We languish in schools where administration continually makes our jobs more difficult, where standards constantly change, and where the apathy of students seems to grow exponentially. But here, standing in the aisle of Walmart, I received appreciation for my dedication and hard work. It may have taken four years to arrive, and it may have arrived simply through serendipity, but it had come.
Whenever you get a chance to do it, make sure to thank your teachers and let them know that the mattered to you. It will mean more to them than you could ever imagine.
