And I just had to write something about it. Ironically, both of these conversations followed a presentation I gave recently to parents of middle schoolers on Facebook. My message: it's an amazing communication tool. And these conversations are a good example. Read on for more.
One of the advantages of being a teacher for 3 decades is the joy of reconnecting with former students who are now All Grown Up. I chatted with two recently, using the chat app on FB. The first one is writing a novel and asked me for some advice on characterization. Not that I'm an expert! But I told him what I could, and we chatted about life. He expressed his appreciation for our interactions 15 years ago. Wow.
The second chat was with a former student who is now an English teacher in a Canadian boarding school. She sent me a link to a film festival website she made with her grade 12 film studies class. So impressive! And she also expressed her appreciation for our time together 15 or so years ago.
I'm in awe of what these people are doing, not because I didn't think they were capable. Just the opposite! I feel humbled by their expressions of gratitude, and it reminds me why I got into this gig in the first place. How many other professions give you the opportunity to have a lifelong positive impact on people? And it goes both ways, as they sent encouragement to me. Kinda makes you believe in karma, doesn't it?
