Hope
recommendation for college scholarships. I have college students contact me for information about teaching and to help them write papers. A few have come back to observe my classroom or volunteer while on winter / spring break.
Two young ladies were at a crossroads with their education and not sure if they wanted to continue pursuing their current majors, so they observed my classroom for a few days. One decided that teaching was the right choice, while the other realized there was no way she could deal with kids all day.
In both cases, they trusted a relationship from years before and felt comfortable asking my advice. This year, three of my former students are starting their teaching careers as math teachers. It makes me feel like a proud parent!
I have been invited to high school and college graduations, weddings, and baby showers. That tells me we have built a relationship that goes beyond the classroom. The most humbling experience I have had was being invited by a class valedictorian to a special recognition dinner. The dinner honors the valedictorians and salutatorians from the county and each is to invite the teacher who was most influential in his or her life.
As a teacher, I know I will never receive a bigger honor than that recognition. To this day, I still get weepy when I think of that evening and how much it meant to me.
66 pieforseven. com | April 2013