Teach for a time touch for a life time ...

On the weekend, while I was busy waiting for an event to happen, a young policeman introduced himself to me as being one of my past students. I was so sad in not remembering him from the many students that I had taught over the years and instead congratulated him in his line of work and smiled in thinking that at least he remembered me and wanted to make that connection.

I remember both inspiring teachers and those I'd rather not remember. A a few years ago, I tracked down my Intermediate school teacher at the time, who only taught at the school for a year and was the first Maori teacher of whom I'd encountered at the time. Everyone thought he was very handsome (including me but I was in denial at the time) and he was very strict but very understanding. I remember he took us on a fieldtrip to town to watch the first 'Rocky' (Sylvester Stallone movie) because he was interested in boxing and then brought in a black and white TV (at the time) to watch a heavyweight boxing match between Muhammed Ali and someone else...

I never wanted to be a teacher to start with, but what with bills and feeling the need to pay off my bank overdraft and helping out the family, it took another year after my first Masters to complete a Diploma of secondary teaching and then started formally teaching in high school as an English teacher in my mid 20's (when I had lots of free time and single) and have never looked back.

I remember doing all sorts of extra curricular activities with students such as taking them on various camping trips all over the North Island (I even got locked in an outdoor toilet once as a prank - but quickly managed to get out to the amazement of the culprits), dragon boating and waka ama since I love the sea. I loved playing badminton with them and would regularly slam the shuttercock at them to feel my wrath - ha ha (my fave sports), ran women teacher relays against the seniors (and we won after I tripped up), wrote, produced and directed Pasifika plays for them, (cross) dressed up as Romeo with a sword in my first year and just generally had a great time.

In the latter years, I've met their children, have seen some on Facebook, Friends (website) and was also a bridesmaid for one of my senior students (when I was single). Some of the most treasured memories I have in having been a teacher (I hope a good one at that) and touching lives...