One really cool thing about working in the school district that I attended is seeing teachers that I had. This time, I get to know them from a different perspective. It's weird to think that while I've gone to high school, college, and started working, they have stayed at the same school, sometimes in the same grade, teaching year after year.

Yesterday I had a first-year teacher meeting. One of the presenters was a special education teacher in my 5th grade class. It's been over 10 years since I last saw her. However, she is one of those people that just radiates joy and safety. She still calls the student in my class that she assisted. She calls him every year on his birthday and keeps in touch with his family. Although I wasn't one of her direct students, she did remember me, which was touching. It made me think: if a teacher has 30 different students a year in elementary school and over 100 in middle and high school, it must be difficult to recognize all students one has had in over 10 years. What really touched me was that she has continued to be a role model and a friend to students that she had over 10 years before. She really goes above and beyond, especially in a culture that does not appreciate teachers the way it should.