While getting ready at the gym today - "they" played "Beat It" and it took me back to my youth...staying up late to watch Friday Night Videos (before MTV). That Thriller was a great album. It was, in fact, the first album I bought with "my own money". And yes, it was the record. I had terrible luck with the records I bought...they always seemed to have a scratch on them. Michael Jackson is a freak show - no doubt, but that was a great album.
I returned to work Monday and went to get the mail from my box...along with the junk mail and the holiday cards from odd entities (departments on campus with which I work - which seem to have a budget that allows them to send cards?!?!?) was a hand-addressed envelope - ie "personal mail". I opened it to find a letter from a student I had in class 6 years ago. This student took 2 courses from me and earned a C and a D, but came to see me every semester after. We'd talk about what classes to take - what major he wanted - how things were going, in general...set some goals for the semester (he had a scholarship and needed to make certain grades to keep it or to get into a major). One semester, he made a 3.2 and was so happy about it. The last time I saw him, he was a senior and I assumed he'd graduated. He wasn't a very good student, but he managed to keep his overall GPA above the minimum. The letter told me that he did not graduate, he failed out the next semester - he went home and worked minimum wage for a year and then decided college wasn't so bad and ended up earning a degree from a college in his hometown. Then, he commissioned in the United States Army and he sent me a picture of him and his family at his commissioning ceremony. The picture almost made me cry. He wanted to thank me for helping him all those semesters and to let me know that all of that help was not "in vain" (to use his words).
These are the moments when I realize how much I potentially impact people's lives (in a positive way). For him to take the time to hand write a letter and send me a picture is very meaningful to me (and I wrote him a letter in return). I get e-mails sometimes - or students come by when they are in town sometimes, but this was very special to me.
2 comments:
while working the check-in desk at the church gym this morning the exercise class was playing a song from a "BREAD" album. talk about going back in time. i used to play that album to DEATH but i can't remember exactly if i was in jr. high or high school. don't be sad that you've never heard of them- it's from a different century from which you have lived through.
Your story about the letter brought tears to my eyes; this is indeed the teacher's reward. some you don't get until heaven but isn't it wonderful that sometimes you get rewarded while you're still on the planet. the other day i ran into a student's mother. i taught her son last year and now he is in public school. she said whenever he talks about last year, the only person he ever mentions is me. you just don't get that from a paycheck, huh?
That surely was a wonderful gift/reward. Not many adults, much less young folks, take the time to give such a gift to one who has helped them "along the line." Hadn't read your blog for awhile and so my comment is a bit late. Enjoyed "helping J'fer Sunday evening. PJ and LJ were active and inventive as usual, but LJ and I did have a few serious moments when he brought out his First Bible for me to read. Mom/MawMaw
Post a Comment