On my way out of the bulding I met Aaron, a sweetheart and a scholar. It felt good signing his yearbook and talking to him about his future plans. It was great hearing about his sister, Liaa, also a former student, who is doing nicely in college. Liaa didn't do well in high school math, but she worked hard and learned quite a bit. Her term in remedial math was easy as it was the second time around.
I also ran into Debbie, one of the kids that tortured me two years ago. She has really grown up nicely. She even apologized for the way she behaved in class. She hugged me and told me that I did a lot for her in school and I really helped build her self esteem. She even got a 73 on the geometry regents. Unfortunately she is programmed for a pre trig class next term and won't get to go for her third year math regents. It is sad when statistics mean more than a child's education. The worst thing to happen would be Debbie failed the regents. She would learn much more in a trig class than in the class she is going to be in.
On my way home I stopped at a nearby hardware store. The present owner is also a former student (37 years young.) We laughed together about what a dingbat he was in high school and how far he has come. It is a good thing he graduated years ago because today he probably would not have been allowed to complete the advanced regents sequence.
I'm glad Packemin is a nearby school. I get to keep running into these awesome former students and see how great they've grown. The post office might have delivered my check but it could not have delivered the unforgettable experience I had picking it up.
(I even enjoyed seeing the adults I ran into.)
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