I don't know if I have said this already but I love my students. Even when they are being difficult and challenging and unreasonable or just plain boneheaded....I enjoy them and am glad that I get to work with them everyday. When I find myself irritated about work I have discovered it is never because of the students but mostly because of the politics that the "adults" are involved with - but I digress...
The last few days I have had wonderful visits both face-to-face and electronically from students new and old. They have come back to campus full of news about their travels far and wide. They have come back to campus brimming with excitement, anxiety, eagerness and curiosity. These students drop-by my office, some I have known for 3 years and some I met just last week. I am lucky enough to get to chat with them about their lives and about their coming year. I get to hear all their plans and stories. We get to laugh together. Whether it is a few stolen moments or a conversation that lasts longer than we realized - those are the times I work for. The lives I am lucky enough to be a part of and that leave me deeply marked and changed.
When I am really lucky, I get to hear from those students again after they have left Dartmouth. I receive emails, like the one I received from a dear student just yesterday, that overflow with the life lessons they are learning out in their new world. These messages are different then the communications we had when they were students. They are more informal now that they are no longer my student. And yet, so many things are still the same. They still are full of questions, joy, anxiety and wisdom that comes with each new day.
I am very lucky indeed.
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