I was in the hall breaking down some boxes from the unpacking a couple of days ago when a woman I’d never met walked by and said, “Are you Doug?” She introduced herself as the new half-time kindergarten teacher. Then she told me that a friend of hers told her to say hello to me, and that I was the “most favorite teacher her daughters ever had.” Kind words like that don’t come too often. It’s amazing to me when I hear things like this. In this case, I taught those girls when they were in second grade over 15 years ago.

It’s humbling to think that people remember me for such a long time. (I hate to think about how many bad things people might also remember for a long time!) Teaching isn’t easy. It’s getting harder for all kinds of reasons. Every year I am more conscious of my limitations. The kids’ lives merge with mine as the months pass, and I invest a great deal of thought and energy into helping them move toward whatever it is that I see as the next imperative for them. I seldom feel satisfied that I’ve done justice to the need. So when I receive an affirmation like that it gives me courage to go back and try to get it right one more time. I’m not sure what it takes to be a good teacher. All I know is that it has less to do with methods and content than it does with how you make them feel. All of the knowledge and technique and professional development won’t matter if the teacher never makes the crucial connnection. That’s where the magic occurs.