The Director's Cut: A Moment I Will Never Forget

The week before Thanksgiving break, I had an unbelievable experience. I was coming back to my office from a meeting off site and there was a young lady in her twenties in the waiting area. As I approached my door she said, "Mrs. Witt do you have a few minutes to talk?" I looked at her and recognized her face but was not sure of her name or how I knew her. I told her, "Absolutely, come on in."

As soon as we walked into my office she said to me, "Do you remember me?" I told her that I remembered her face, but that I couldn't remember her name. She reminded me she was Antoinette and had been a student in my sixth grade class twelve years ago. I instantly remembered who she was. I told her it was so great she was here and asked her how she was doing.

Antoinette proceeded to tell me that she had been living in Louisiana for the last seven years and just recently returned to California. She said she had a purpose for the visit, she had to tell me something. She went on to explain that she had majored in Political Science in college and that she had to write a paper recently explaining why she chose the path in college that she did. She said that as she was writing her paper she connected her decision all the way back to sixth grade. She actually said to me, "Mrs. Witt it is because of you and the debates you had us do in class that I knew I wanted to be an attorney. I wanted you to know that it is because of you." She even remembered the topic of the debate we had in class. I can't even begin to explain the emotions I was feeling at that time. Goose bumps ran up and down my arms. It was such a great feeling to have her come back after all these years to reconnect and to let me know that her decision to follow a career path had to do with something we had done in class.

If she had never come and shared her story I would have never known what impact our sixth grade class had on her. She was a great way to end the week and go into the Thanksgiving break.

I am thankful for so many different things in my life right now. I am thankful for all the students that I have been able to teach. I am thankful for all the teachers and staff members that I have been able to work with over the last eighteen years. I am thankful for the opportunity to continue to work in education and help students every day. I am thankful for my family and friends. I am thankful to be here today taking one more step towards being the change I want to see in the world.