Every now and again as teachers, we get the chance to really feel the difference we make. There are a lot of my former students who stay in touch and let me know what’s going on in their lives. A few of them even read this blog. And yesterday, one of my former students who really was like a daughter to me called yesterday from college to wish Kat a Happy Mother’s Day. Those are the moments that make every 5:00 am alarm clock, every 3:00 am grading session, every frustration worth it.

I imagine that for Salome Thomas-El, Saturday was one of those days. Because Saturday, three of his former chess players graduated from Kutztown University, and he was there to see it. Salome wrote a book, I Choose To Stay about his experiences as a teacher and chess coach in North Philadelphia — and about his own story growing up in Philadelphia. These days, he is a principal at Stoddard-Fleischer Middle School in Center City, so I get to chat with him at the principal’s meetings every month. And I must say, that the meetings are always more fun when I can end up sitting next to him. And after the success of his first book, a movie deal in the works and a second book just coming out now, he is still in our schools every day, looking to make a difference in the lives of his kids. And nearly a decade after being in his classroom, Nathan Durant was thrilled to have Mr. Thomas-El at his graduation, as he said:

"If I can impact someone’s life, like [Thomas-El] impacted my life," Durant said, "then I’ll consider myself a success."