So many wonderful stories. Redfrost , I’m keeping good thoughts for your son.
Thank you. If you are interested in keeping up with his progress, you can visit his caringbrige site at www.caringbridge.org/visit/matthewfaulkner
Thank you for the link. He’s such a cutie!
All four years of high school I was lucky enough to have this absolutely amazing Spanish teacher. She was an excellent teacher and cared so deeply about all her students. My senior year was very, very rough (my parents were both unemployed, I was going through an absolutely soul-crushing breakup, my grades were crap, I was trying to deal with some mental illness issues - it was bad) and she saw more of it than I’d imagined.
The first somewhat-good thing that happened to me that academic year was when I heard back from a university in Wales that I’d applied to. My college search had turned into “go very far away from here”, so even the conditional acceptance seemed like a faint light at the end of the tunnel. This teacher had helped me a lot with a number of applications, so as soon as I got the letter I sent her an email, just to let her know - even though I was sure I wouldn’t meet the conditions.
The next day at the very beginning of Spanish class, she had me run a note to the office. When I got back she’d set up a full-fledged class party. She, apparently, had gone out as soon as she got my email, bought some little decorations, snacks and soda, and a cake saying “For NinjaChick, because she deserves it!” (in Spanish and with my real name, obviously). Why? Because she knew I’d been having a really rough time, was feeling bad about myself, and therefore, deserved a party.
It sounds like something really minor, and I guess it was, but the combination of her noticing how low I was and actually doing something about it just blew me away. It had the added perk of gaining me a few points with my classmates (hey, free day in class!). She had no other motive, hadn’t been put up to it by anyone, and certainly, blowing fifty bucks on a public school teacher’s salary isn’t entire minor. She just did it absolutely to be nice to me, and it ended up leaving a huge impression.
FWIW - I kept in touch with her for about a year after I graduated. I don’t know if she knows how much that little gesture really meant to me, but I’m absolutely certain I will always remember it.
Wow. The stories in this thread. They make me not want to share, they’re so good.
My mind takes me back to this memory occassionally. I was in my third year in college, and it was during finals week. It had somehow gotten in my head that my abnormal psych exam was scheduled for the afternoon. I showed up to the room an hour early so that I could study in quiet and not stress out about being showing up on time. But as time progressed, it dawned on me that no one was showing up. Panicky, I looked at the schedule and discovered the exam had been scheduled that morning. I had missed it by several hours!
I can’t explain how panicked I was. I had always prided myself on being responsible and non-space cadety. I’d never done anything bone-headed like that before. The consequences seemed like life-and-death at that moment. As I tore across campus towards the psychology building (which was just a trailer in a parking lot…my university didn’t really put much truck in that touchy-feely crap), I contemplated everything negative thing a person can think of when their life looks like it’s going in the toliet. I actually reveled in the image of me committing suicide right there in the professor’s office. All I could think about was how horrible my GPA was going to be. It didn’t matter that a missed final would only take my grade down to a B, maybe C+ tops. No, the whole world was gonna END!
Crying and out of breath, I stumbled into the psychology trailer. The lady sitting at the front desk was all, “What’s wrong, baby? Calm down!” I told her about the screw-up and how my life was over and did she know how to get in contact with the professor? As I was talking, I knew it was hopeless anyway because the prof was an adjunct, probably busy with patients. But the common sense part of my brain knew it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
Well, this woman was sharp. She might have been just a secretary, but she knew what to do. She sat me down, gently told me pull myself together, and called the professor at his off-campus office. He relayed directions to the file cabinent where he had stored extra copies of his exam, and let the secretary know just how long I was supposed to have. I took the test right there at her desk while she worked. No penalities for taking the test later than everyone else. No problems at all.
I got an A out the test and out of the class.
I know I should thank the professor for not being a hardass, but I’m more grateful to that lady for going above duty like that. Any other person who have laughed at the spoiled brat and sent them away. But she was nice and understanding and went to bat for me.
I hate that I never sent her the thank-you letter I always said I would.
Thank you. We keep saying “He’s Bringin Sexy Back” 