One of the most sobering things as a (somewhat) experienced teacher was seeing students from years past. When I last saw them, they were just “kids.” Now, they were grown, and some even had children of their own. It caused me to reflect on the concept of time and the lasting impression I made on my students.
An encounter that I had with one of my students a few years ago really put my legacy in perspective.
It was conference week, and though I didn’t have a conference schedule like classroom teachers, my room was still open so families could come visit or look at their kids’ artwork.
One little girl, Nicole (a 1st-grade student) came bounding through the door with her mother in tow.
“MIZ BONES!! I’M HERE WITH MY MOM!” Nicole yelled in excitement, before plopping down at a table to color with some supplies I had laid out.
I looked at the mom. She seemed so familiar…
“Hi, Miz Bones! I don’t know if you remember me, but I came to school here a while ago! My name is…”
“Emily!” I said. “How are you? Oh my gosh, it’s been years!”
“I’ve been good! As you can see, my daughter is very excited to have you as an art teacher as well! She doesn’t believe that you taught me.”
“I sure did!” I said to Nicole.
“Oh yeah?” said Nicole, “What’s one thing you learned from her?”
This was it. I was so excited to learn the impact I had on my former student. Did she remember the time we made 3D dragons out of paper? Did she remember studying Egyptian hieroglyphics? Was it the time we embossed copper?
“Oh my God! Miz Bones! Do you remember when you showed us how to make a cupcake sandwich AND that you could eat it in TWO BITES?” Emily asked with a giggle.
“You’ll have to be more specific!” I chortled.
“Oh yeah!” said Nicole. “She can still do that! Cupcakes are her favorite food.”
My sides hurt from laughing. All this time, my former student, now a mother whose child attended the same school, remembered that 1) I loved cupcakes and 2) that I could eat one in two bites.
We hung out and chatted for a while before they had to leave to attend Nicole’s conference. We hugged and said our goodbyes, and Emily thanked me for being such a positive light in hers and Nicole’s life.
It just goes to show that I could put countless hours, sweat, and tears into a lesson, but students weren’t necessarily focused on that. They remembered the silly and relatable things, the times that made them laugh and took their minds off of school.
I was happy that I’d built a positive relationship, and I’m proud to say that I can still eat a cupcake in two bites.
I’m sarcastic and profane, but passionate about the community in which I work. I’ve been teaching elementary art for 12 years at a Title-1 school, and I see anywhere from 25 to 27 classes per week, grades K-5. All names have been changed, but the stories are true and are told from a place of love and lightheartedness.
-Miz Bones
