Today was a busy day. In the morning, after yoga, I took dad to the farmer's market and to see mom. But I was overly ambitious because I needed to be in Irvine for an appointment at 1. I was 10 minutes late because of exceptionally heavy traffic. Then I took part in the graduation at the college as a faculty member, having ordered my regalia for the first time.
It was really moving to see the students who have been a fixture on campus for many years finally finishing. One student failed many people's English classes--never mine; I only saw her in the Writing Center. She told me once that she used to be a maid in a hotel, and developed a yearning to be a lawyer, even though she had never graduated even from elementary school, as far as I remember. Her English was poor (it was her second language), so it was a struggle, but I have noticed her bearing change, her confidence grow, and today, she smiled as she walked across the stage. Another student, from last summer, has contacted me a number of times by email, telling me how much my Writing 1 class has changed the way he thinks and writes. He is from Syria, and he will go back there now, but promises to contact me on Facebook, as he has several times already.
Most of all, I felt like a real part of the faculty, as I sat with my colleagues, eying the students' amazing high heels in the hot sun.
4 comments:
Amazing high heels--ha!
Yes. They were particularly amazing because of my cramp-ridden toes, which I freed from the (flat) shoes I wore under my robe.
I love the shoes too!
Not that I'd ever in a million years wear them!
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