This past week a large handful of my students left for college. That should be cause for rejoicing, of course, but for me it was a painful reminder that relationships can be so very efemeral. These eight kids had in many ways not only been my students, but also my legacy. A couple of them had even been my friends.
They are off to a great new adventure now, spread to all parts of the country.
Will they forget me? Perhaps they will. I know that from my high school days I remain in touch with but a single friend. Even my "best friend" and I haven't spoken for more than two years.
Lives change. We move on. Old friends pass into memory, new ones take their places. For my nine, well, I should be thrilled. Alas, that thrill is tempered by an emptiness that I cannot explain, and even though there is a new crop in the studio this year...those that have gone were my first class to go since I started teaching full time.
Good teachers care and remember. They stay abreast of what their charges have gone on to do. I hope that my students do the same for the old man.
Andy, Robert, Alex, Brian, Will, Michael, Montgomery, Tasha, Rachel: Good Luck, Godspeed, Bon voyage. Do well. Make me proud. And I hope that some future success will have had something to do with some little thing you might have learned from me.
I miss you all already, and I am delighted that a new and exciting adventure awaits you. Keep me posted. I know it will be great!
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