Well, it's been a busy week here in my hometown. The leaves are mostly gone from the maple trees, and the oaks and beech are following suit. Tomorrow is Halloween, and in the next week we'll be starting to prepare for Thanksgiving, Christmas and winter breaks. Don't forget to remind your students about the critical role played by Native Americans in the survival of the Plymouth Colony and the mutual trade and support deals that allowed both nations to survive. Go beyond the printed history texts for this. I recommend James W. Loewen's books for sources, especially for your older students. His works are worth a read on their own!
This brings to mind our influence on our students. Ours is a profession where sometimes the rewards seem few and far between for the labor we put into our daily work, and sometimes we can start to fall into the trap of thinking about what it's all worth. Then, one day, a person walks up to us in the store or on the street-a person who seems vaguely familiar, but we just can't place the face. That person proceeds to wax rhapsodic on how we helped in a tough situation, or how the lessons we taught influenced their futures. It is just such a story that I wish to tell you now.
About ten years ago, when I was contemplating leaving teaching for other pursuits, I was approached in the grocery store by a tall, slender man in a state university jacket. Without introducing himself, he told me at length about how much he loved his current studies at college (geology, as it turned out), and how well prepared he was to enter those classes since he'd had me (I majored in geology prior to switching to education) for 8th grade Earth/Space Science. He told me about how he and his classmates appreciated my candor and not dumbing down the subject matter, but treating them like they all had the capacity to learn and understand about the forces that shape our planet, and the universe beyond. All this time, I was struggling to recall who this young man was. He finally paused enough to see the puzzlement on my face and, grinning, said "you don't remember my name, do you Mr. B?" Blushing, I had to admit I didn't. He told me and a flood of memories came back. This was the "kid" who'd finished his midterm in a record 40 minutes (2 hours allotted) and didn't miss a single point. He'd been the quiet one in his class, fretted over by all of us on the staff. I grinned back, shook his hand and told him how much I appreciated his kind words and my part in his present and future, and then reminded him that his was a difficult and highly specialized profession; hadn't I warned them of the competitive nature of science as a career? He said that he remembered, and that was the challenge, the prod to keep going. With that, he shook my hand, and excused himself to continue his shopping. I haven't heard from him since, but I hope he's happy doing whatever it is he's doing. It was one of those moments that makes it all worthwhile, and there have been others like it since.
Now for the invitation:
In the comment section, post one of these memorable moments that have occurred for you-a moment when it all came together.
As always, my door is open....
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