The Spark of Learning: Do you remember me?

If you've been in education long enough, you've probably had a former student contact you and ask the question, "Do you remember me?". It may be from a student that you coached, someone that you taught, or maybe a student who remembers you as a principal. Sometimes they may seem familiar and we may remember them with some prompts, other times we remember them in an instant. Recently, I was contacted by a student and it was one that I remembered in an instant.

I was sitting at home when a message notification came up on Facebook. I didn't recognize the sender and thought it was a sales pitch, when I saw the first line, "Hey Mr. Wennstrom, I don't know if you remember me, but you were my first grade teacher." Reading further, I saw that not only was it from one of my favorite students (I know we're not supposed to have favorites), but it was from my very first classroom. I was teaching a first/second grade split and the message was from one those students. He proceeded to remind me that he had stuck a pair of scissors in an outlet and MAY have blown up a computer. That incident had not been forgotten by me, but what he may not have known was that while talking with his parents about the incident, I shared with them that I had once done something very similar while I was in school as well. Yes, I often have more in common with my students (especially when they are in trouble) than I care to admit. The message ended with the student letting me know that he was now (wait for it)....an electrician! I can't make this stuff up.

I was so happy to hear from my former student and even more happy that he still remembered me after 20 years! As educators, we rarely get to see the fruits of our labors, but if we are lucky, we may have a former student contact us and share a funny story or let us know we made a positive difference in their lives. Those are the moments we live for and the reason we work so hard each and every day. We ARE making a difference in students' lives and we need to be sure that the memories we leave with them are good ones!

My former first grade student!

PEARLS OF WISDOM

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." - Albert Schweitzer

"Education is the key to success in life, and teachers make a lasting impact in the lives of their students." - Solomon Ortiz

"Creativity is the key to success in the future, and primary education is where teachers can bring creativity in children at that level." - A.P.J. Abdul Kalam