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A Smile on My Face, and a Tear in My Eye

7/5/2015

3 Comments

 
Picture
Off to Conquer the World
I just returned from the graduation party for one of my ex-students. After four years and a full high school experience, they remembered me - a middle school teacher - with an invitation to their graduation party. I felt honored.

Look at these kids. These are our future. I taught these students four and five years ago when they were in seventh and eighth grades. I taught them algebra and geometry. Now they have graduated high school and are on their way to college and then off to right the world's wrongs. 

They have some big plans, and they are on their way to some big, important universities. I won't even try to match careers and colleges with the students, but I will bore you with a few facts. The group in this photo includes Texas Science Bowl Champions, Texas Math League Champions, a National Geography Bee champion, perfect score SAT testers, perfect score AP testers, the valedictorian and salutatorian of the district's Math & Science Academy, and who knows what else.

Their colleges include Brown, Carnegie-Mellon, Colby, Columbia, Cornell, MIT, Northwestern, Princeton, Rice, Texas A&M, and the University of Texas. Those are some pretty heavy places to do your studies.

Their career plans include biological engineering, business, computer science, environmental science, mathematics, medicine, physics, engineering, and urban planning. These young folks are aiming high, very high.

Best of all, these were my kids. I was fortunate to teach them for two years. They were my favorite class from my twenty-some years of teaching. They were not only extremely bright, but they were inquisitive and involved in their learning. They were also fun, lots of fun. With them, I was in some kind of middle-school teaching nirvana. 

So here is where I wish them well. They are off to conquer the world, and the world will be better for them. I leave them with these words from the great Leonardo da Vinci:
“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing.
Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Being willing is not enough; we must do.”
3 Comments
Judith Stimson link
7/8/2015 07:47:14 am

What joy and pride. This is why we teach, not for ourselves, but for the young people. Sharing in their successes and their thank you is the best payment of all.
Love, Judy

Reply
Milly Cooper
7/8/2015 11:31:28 am

You have a right to be proud.

Reply
Prasad Kalva
8/7/2015 02:40:18 pm

Thank you Mr. Simmons for all you taught these kids. You challenged them, you fed their thirst of winning competitions. These kids and we as parents are blessed that you were their teacher. Saiesh will always remember you. He has fond memories of all the competitions.

Reply



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