Over the past couple weeks, I’ve been thinking a bit about my four years in high school and one teacher, my sophomore English teacher, in particular. I always enjoyed her class and really liked her… when we got our yearbooks that year, she was even the very first person I asked to sign it and when I saw that she signed it as “Your friend”, it made me smile. Over the next two years, I had limited contact with her and intended to be her teacher’s aide my senior year but she got pregnant and took that year off, foiling my plans.
A year or two later, while I was working at Wal Mart as a cashier, she even came up to me and said hi out of the blue while I was ringing up another customer. She was a very cool person and I’d like to get into contact with her again, if for no other reason just to say hi and tell her what I’ve just told you. I know teachers like to hear from students sometimes but would it be weird after seven years to get a letter or email from a former student just saying hi?
Or is it even possible? I’m hoping I might be able to track her down using classmates.com or maybe get some kind of forwarding address from my high school if she doesn’t still teach there but there’s always the chance I can’t or won’t be able to.
What’s you opinion on this? Should I try? Is it weird?
I was a teacher for many years and, especially with the crappy pay they get, a nice little comment from you would mean a lot and goes a long way in making the job seem worthwhile.
I think it is a great idea.
Try contacting the school where you went to see if they can put you in contact with her. They might not give you her address, but they might offer to forward a letter/short note to her at her new address/school.
I had a student contact me after seven years out of school (he dropped out after I fought fang, tooth and claw to keep him IN, iirc). He wanted to thank me for supporting him, for “kicking his ass” when he needed it, and loving him when he was at his worst. He’d cleaned up and was trying to turn his life around.
I was deeply touched, and thrilled to hear from him.
So many times you don’t know how you’re changing the world–it’s very good to hear sometimes that you actually managed to do so in some small way.
Giver her a call, or drop her a note. She’ll be happy to hear from you.
Best thing in the world is to hear back from students. I’ve only taught for three years, so I haven’t built up the history for that sort of thing, but I can tell you that if any of my kids sent me a letter, I’d probably cry my eyes out.
Okay, since everyone seems to think this is a good idea, I just googled her (uncommon and Hawaiian) name and subject taught and found out she’s still teaching in my hometown but at the Middle School instead of High School.
I’ll try to think of something to write her over the next few days because, as it stands right now, I don’t have anything to tell her except “Hi, I have no idea if you even remember me but I was in your class in 1998 and I always really liked you. kthxbye!”. Any ideas? Telling teachers how you took their message to heart and became a success is always good but since I didn’t and I’m not, I can’t do that. I have been thinking more and more about it over the past year though so maybe I can do that?
What the hell else should I write? I’m getting anxious now that I’m actually thinking about it.
You could just tell her that you admire and appreciate her and that you hope to be the kind of person that leaves a positive impression on someone the way she did on you.
I emailed my freshman science teacher not all that long ago mostly just to thank him for caring enough to sit down and talk with me the day I told him I wasn’t coming back to school. I still dropped out and everything, but that he took the time to listen to me meant a lot to me then and it still means a lot to me. He was definitely one of the Good Ones.
If you want to run the letter by someone before you send it, you know where to find me.
A follow-up: how long do you you typically remember a student? At six classes a year for seven years with ~25 students per class, that’s just over 1,000 students to remember and while I would like to think she would remember me, there’s a very good chance she won’t.
To be completely honest, after the first five years or so of teaching, I found it very hard to remember every student’s name. You’re right, when the number of students gets into the thousands, it’s pretty tough. But I always remember the ones who have made some kind of impression, especially good impressions. In any case, it’s irrelevant if your teacher remembers you. That you remember her is what counts. As to your previous question about what to say … obviously your teacher has influenced you in a positive way or you would not want to make this contact. Just express honestly how you feel. It’ll make her day! Nothing gives a teacher more gratification (of an unexpected nature) than to hear from a former student.
Some teachers have very good memories. One of my former classmates recently moved back close to where she grew up and sent her kids to our old school. One of the longest serving teachers stopped her daughter in the playground and said “I know who your mother is!”. It would have been almost 25 years since we’d been at that school.
I teach at university, and yes, it’s good to hear from former students. Often what prompts them is being required to use some knowledge or skill I taught. Since I’m so often faced with students that don’t care it makes my day to hear that one of them has found the things I teach to be useful.
