I want to share an email I got last week from a former student of mine (with his permission, of course).

Hey,

I was just talking to some of our teenagers the other day about people teachers who have influenced your life and I wanted to let you know that when that question was asked I let them know how you encouraged me and many others to be ourselves. I know it’s been a long time since we’ve seen or spoken but I wanted to say THANKS for the encouragement! And to let you you know it’s something that I will never forget, to this day I am consistently writing poetry and short stories that fit no mold and have no bounds and it’s teachers like you that help inspire and develop minds like mine. I hope I can take everything you taught me and teach it to the kids in my youth group. So again I say thanks and keep doing what you do!

Adam

It touched me so much that I must’ve read it five times before I even replied, each time all teary-eyed. :) I read it to the English teacher across the hall at lunch the other day, and she was tearing up, too. :)

Adam was a freshman my first year of teaching, way back in 1997. He later joined the newspaper staff I advised (The Lancer Link) and stayed with us through his senior year. He was a very creative young man, funny and quirky and respectful, but not always such a great student; so many outside forces kept his attention elsewhere, just like they do most teenagers (myself included). Well, now he’s happily married with a good job, and he’s working with the youth group in his church.

It was so kind of him to let me know that I helped in some way. I love that he’s still writing and being inspired and inspiring others!

It makes it easier to go on planting those seeds I rarely see grown and flowering.