A Former Student Surprise Visit at GEM Film

Last update: Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011 2PM

We were waiting for people to arrive at the screening of the GEM film "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman" on Friday evening. It was still early when a stunning woman walked in. She smiled at me. I'm at the age when a stunning woman smiles at me I turn around to see who she is really smiling at. But she walked right up to me and said, "You know who I am, don't you? I work in the area and I saw this advertised on Facebook and I thought I'd drop by." I realized she was Maria, my former 4th grade student from 1982-83 when she was 9 or 10 years old. The last time I had seen her was when she was 17 and a student at Stuyvesant. (I did not have many students who went on the Stuyvesant.)

I'm the one with glasses

Maria had contacted me a few years ago with a wonderful email telling me that on the eve of her older daughter entering school she had thought most about my class and what an impact it had on her. We had tried to get together over the years but it never happened. So this surprise visit was quite a treat.

We got to reminisce about Maria's wonderful father, a somewhat elderly gentleman to have such a young child - he carried himself with enormous dignity. He delivered her to school in the morning and was there almost every day at dismissal. He was totally involved in her education, being particularly proud of Maria's abilities in math. But she was also a top-level reader - a perfect student all around but also with a big personality. He lived into his 90's and died a few years ago.

I have to say that I often had/have doubts about myself as a teacher. Even though I know the data munching nuts are wrong I was still tied into that world as far back as the 80s - due to a principal who pushed the testing craze down our throats - at times used to doubt if my somewhat alternative teaching style fit those trends. Those doubts eventually drove me out of the self-contained classroom I had loved so much. My last class graduated in 1985.

Accountability is viewed in such a narrow frame. But to me the highest level of accountability comes from former students and/or their parents, especially those students with children of their own. Believe me, they could offer me merit pay but I would rate a few good words from this constituency as the highest level of being held accountable. So as I introduced Maria around to my GEM colleagues she said stuff about me as a teacher that practically made me blush - and kvell. I won't repeat them - not out of modesty - but I was so overwhelmed I can't even remember what she said.

Interestingly, Maria was from the same class that produced the actor Ernie Silva whose one man play I have written about. And I've received some other communications from students in that class. It was one of the two top classes I taught - the other one from 1975 also had many students keep in touch - I attended 3 weddings over the years. There is some important ideas to explore on the vastly different experience teachers faced in the old system (and I bet it still goes on) of grouping kids by reading scores to set up classes and the impact that has on both teachers and students. I didn't want those classes all the time - I liked dealing with the struggling kids - but I fought for my contractual right to get those classes every so often, arguing that teachers need to see some success to keep up their spirits and morale. While the bottom classes were rewarding,  there were too many drug deaths, teen pregnancies, and calls from jail to give one a balanced view of the world.

Thanks for making it a special evening Maria.

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