Fall 2008 - my first semester teaching here - was ugly. Between the cheating and the male students' inability to be quiet in class I questioned if I had made the right decision to move here.
There were a few students from that very first class who made it all worthwhile. And now they are graduating:
As I came to know Leon I said, "Your face is not what I picture when I think of a 'Leon.'"
"I know, sir," he replied, "it's a common name for a black guy in the US, right?"
Abdelrahman and Admed were also part of the first semester. Abdelrahman is a 100% aviation geek. Having worked at airports for four years I have never met anyone with a greater knowledge and interest in all things flying. His major? Accounting. I keep telling him to pursue his dream and go into aviation but he wants to play it safe... and given the economic climate I don't blame him.
Noticeably absent were the students who made my life hell. Either they chose not to attend or maybe they flunked out somewhere between then and now. Either way, the group I did get to see is a group I will miss.
Also in this picture - first person kneeling on the left - is the guy who wrote "bin Laden is a hero" and tagged me in the picture. He keeps promising that we'll talk about it someday but I am not holding my breath.
I'd make a date with him to talk about it. It would be interesting to know his perspective and why he believes that.
ReplyDeleteThe irony that he's holding up a "peace" symbol just hit me!
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