One of the things I love about the teaching life over time is the pleasure of knowing your former students as adults. And I’ve been lucky enough to have former Beacon students take part in helping build SLA. Right now, Jeremy, a former advisee and Ultimate player from Beacon is doing his Drexel University co-op at SLA this semester. It’s just a blast to have him there, and he’s definitely going to leave a mark on the school.

And this month, my group of basketball players from what was arguably the best team I ever coached graduated. Jessie, Denice, Gaby and Dori all graduated college, which is amazing, because I’d swear that our last game against Brandeis was just a few weeks ago. I’ve been lucky enough to stay in touch with them, and it’s just a pleasure to still have them involved in my life.

And next week, Denice and another Beacon basketball alum, Elizabeth, are going to come to SLA to do a slam poetry performance / workshop. It’s just a thrill to have them want to come to the new school and give of their time and their talents. Both are amazing poets and performers, and I love the idea that our students will see these two amazing scholar-athlete-poets perform, and that our poets will get the chance to perform with them. Denice just did a one-woman show on Dowling College’s campus, and Elizabeth has performed in Slam events for years.

For me, having these amazing young women and men stay in my life, give of their time to SLA — simply because they know it’s important to me to have them there — is humbling and inspiring. Seeing them fast forward into adulthood with confidence, intelligence and kindness is the gift of the teaching life. These are kids who were part of my life on a daily basis for four years. It’s hard to explain to non-teachers how these kids can occupy so much of our mental landscape, but really, if you coach a student, if you advise a student, if you get to work with students in small schools so that you see them year in and year out, you can end up spending more time with your students than all but a handful of your closest friends. And their lives affect and change yours. At least these kids all affected my life. So now, to see them as adults. .. to have them help to shape SLA or to come spend and afternoon and teach my new students… it’s just a pure joy.