Confirmation

It’s not often that teachers get to reconnect with former students, but when we do, emotions can range from trepidation and fear over what a student has become to just plain relief that the kid is still alive. Somewhere between fear and relief is the satisfaction that comes with confirmation. The kind of confirmation to which I refer is not the confirmation that sweet little Jimmy is now a convicted felon, but rather, the confirmation I am talking about is the confirmation that proves a kid is still firmly planted along the path upon which I had sent him.

I got to experience that kind of confirmation today. A former student was passing through town on his way from his current home in Texas to visit family in San Diego. The timing worked out perfectly to rendezvous with him for lunch.

Despite what your third grade teacher may have told you, teachers do have favorites. Favorites don’t necessarily conform to a mold. They come in all shapes and sizes and from a variety of backgrounds. A frequent common denominator, however, is that the the kid’s parents are actively involved in his or her education. Justin’s family is that type of family. Perhaps that is why the kid is such a joy to be around. Now I am sure that his mother would disagree with the idea that he is always a joy, but you get the point.

For some reason, Justin and I clicked the year he was in my fourth grade class. Yes, his mom had a lot to do with it, but so did the fact that he “got” me and I “got” him. We were on the same wave length. I have never been accused of being overly serious or philosophical, and neither has Justin. Humor and good-natured sarcasm were the hallmark of our year. Unfortunately, I only got to teach Justin for one year. At the close of that school year I moved up to fifth grade and took many of my fourth grade students with me. Justin’s family, however, had other plans and Texas was calling.

Now, three years later, through the wonders of the internet and a few visits back to Southern California, I have kept in touch with Justin and his family. Maintaining a relationship with a former student doesn’t really make me a great teacher. What it does do, however, is keep me in line for a payoff in the future. You see, Justin is going to be an NFL quarterback someday, and I need to make sure he knows where to find me in case I need help funding my retirement. And the fact that he has an incredibly cute younger sister that is my son’s age doesn’t hurt either.

Discovery

My youngest daughter was born with an identity crisis. When she first arrived, we proudly bestowed upon her the name Camryn Michelle. From that, countless other names have been derived. Cami, Cami Shell, Camster the Hamster, just plain old Hamster, and Cam to name a few. At first we had some concerns that she may become confused as to which name was indeed hers, but she put that crisis to rest well before her second birthday.

Our concerns, however, did have some merit. As she passed her first birthday and began experimenting with sounds we began teaching her to recognize her own name. It was at this point that we realized we had a problem. It quickly became apparent that she wanted to be her older sister, Maddie, instead of Cami. We developed a routine that went something like this:

Dad: Say Cami.

Cami: Maddie.

Dad: No, say Caaami.

Cami: Maaaddie.

Dad: That’s not quite right. Say Ca-mi.

Cami: Mad-die.

Dad: Ok, let’s try something else. Say Camryn.

Cami: Maddie

Dad: Say Daddy.

Cami: Daddy.

Dad: Say Mommy.

Cami: Mommy.

Dad: Say Doggie.

Cami: Doggie.

Dad: Say Cami.

Cami: Maddie.

Dad: Say Camryn.

Cami: Maddie.

Dad: Hamster?

Cami: Maddie.

Dad: I give up!

Needless to say, this is a comical, yet frustrating experience. Arriving at her name was quite an ordeal for me and my wife. In the months prior to her birth, we pondered hundreds of names before finally agreeing that our daughter was going to be Camryn. Now she shrugged off the name and took a new one without ever consulting us or seeking our opinions on the matter. Everyone knows that girls are the most expensive gender and now in addition to college and a wedding, I was going to have to fork over legal fees for a name change! “We’ve got to stop this nonsense,” I said to my wife one day. “I’m going to teach that girl her name if it’s the last thing I do!”

And so, I set out to teach Camryn her name. In the interest of saving space, I’ll not repeat the above conversation. I’ll simply ask you to review my last attempt at this and tell you that round two had similar results. As did round three and round four. By now, she was a side show that we used to entertain our friends. “Hey watch this,” I would tell anyone who came near us. “I bet your kid can’t do this.” Then I would wow them with my daughter’s ability to say Maddie every time I said Camryn, Cami, Cam, or Hamster.

Last week all my hard work finally paid off. When we first got our big white SUV with oversized chrome wheels, some might have thought that it was a little excessive, but I am here to tell you that big chrome rims have a very distinct educational use. I had sent the kids out to the garage to get in the car when I noticed that Cami had stopped short of her door. When I found her, she was looking into the right front wheel, admiring her reflection in the shiny chrome. “Ahhh,” she was saying. And then it happened. Her little finger pointed to the center of the rim and said what I had been longing to hear, “Cami.”

“Who is that?” I asked seizing the moment to hear it again, my finger pointing to the rim.

“Cami,” she replied.

“You’re cured!” I exclaimed as I picked her up and squeezed her tightly. I then put her back down on the floor where she immediately returned to the wheel and pointed at herself repeating her name, “Cami, Cami, Cami.”

I looked at my daughter and pride filled my heart. Then relief flooded my soul as I gently patted my wallet, comforted by the fact that I would not be paying for a legal name change any time soon.