Saying thanks to ... teachers ... and students

Over the years that I have had to reflect on my life, I concluded that I have been a lucky guy who had quite a few wonderful teachers to guide me.  There wasn't any one special teacher, or any one particular moment, that stands out though.  But, with the exception of a couple of them, well, I have had fantastic teachers throughout, all the way to my PhD.

Today, the day that Story Corps suggests that we "thank a teacher," I pause to appreciate all those fabulous people.

Now, of course, I am one of them teachers.  Every year, practically every term, there are enough incidents where students explicitly and genuinely thank me, which is all I need to forget any professional disappointment and frustration, which are in plenty. 

A couple of days ago, a student, "B," popped her head into my office and sat down for a chat.  It had been a few months since I last saw her.  As we chatted about stuff profound and silly, she casually slips into the conversation that she is getting married in June and that I am invited. I was/am excited for her, and am so touched that she chose to privilege me with such a unique honor of being one of the few invitees at such a major transition in one's life.

A wedding celebration here in the US is, for the most part, very different from India in one important aspect: a typical wedding here almost always has a very small group in attendance.  In India, all the weddings that I have been to, well, they were major events with hundreds of people in the audience.  Thus, unlike in India, an invitation here is a result of a lot of thought on who gets invited and who does not.  To be then invited only as a result of teacher-student interactions is, therefore, very, very special to me.

This is not the first wedding invitation either. I could not attend a few because of scheduling issues.

Last summer, I attended the wedding of "L" and "P"--interestingly enough, they were both in my classes, and together in one term.  When I went there, "P," the groom, said "you will be the only teacher here, Dr. Khé.  In fact, you are only teacher we invited, of all the teachers from our first grade to college."  How special, right?  And when everybody from their parents to grandmothers to aunts treated me with "so glad you could come, professor" I felt like I had hit a jackpot!

This time, I don't even have to wait until next June to realize that I have won the jackpot.  In her follow-up email, "B" writes:

My father pointed out this evening that the only major event in my life that you will have missed so far is my birth. :-) You have really become a part of my family

Of course, it is not only through wedding invitations do students let me know that I played a constructive role in their lives. Even simple things like when they say "I don't care if I miss any other class, but I make sure to come to your because you are my favorite" or, as one student said a couple of days ago in a very appreciative tone, "you are so much like my father.  He is about your height and build, has a beard, and always has questions for us."  This was not from an "Indian" student but from a "white" girl :)

Because we don't have a "thank a student" day, I will use this context to note my thanks to all the students who have made it all worthwhile.