Unexpected benefits of teaching

The biggest surprise of my teaching career:

Many of my students would remain in my life long after they had left my classroom.

Some have become longterm babysitters for my children. Some have stayed in touch via email and social media. Some continue to share their writing with me on a regular basis.

Some have become my honest-to-goodness friends.

Two weekends ago, I officiated the wedding of one of my first students - a little second grader in 1999 who has turned into brilliant young woman. It was an incredible honor to stand alongside her as she married the man who she loved.

it was also unforgettable. Never before have I seen a couple so relaxed and silly and joyful in the midst of their wedding ceremony, and after 22 years as a wedding DJ and 15 years of officiating weddings, I’ve seen a lot of ceremonies.

This one was the best.

Attending the wedding were several former students from my school, including some of my own former students. Strangely enough, they are now the same age that I was when I was teaching them.

All grown up now, they have both changed so much and also not changed a bit. We had a great time relaxing and chatting and dancing the night away.

Never could I have imagined such a thing when I first stepped into my classroom in 1999.

There are many, many benefits to becoming a school teacher, but the one I never expected was the lifelong relationships I would forge with some of my students.

How very lucky I am.