Lasting Impressions

​For the last two years people have been telling me what a great teacher I am, "one of the best foreign teachers I've ever worked with", but I often wondered how sincere these words were.   Now, as my time in Korea is coming to an all-too-soon end I'm realizing that most of those statements were, in fact, heartfelt and I am a good teacher.

I've always seen my connection and interactions with students from one side of the glass, but over the last few days, I've been able to get a glimpse of the other side.  I'm somewhat shocked by the number of students who have reached out to express their feelings towards my departure.  I came across this article last week, which discusses the real impact teachers have on students and it really hit home with me.  For those of you that don't want to click and read, here is a great excerpt from the article:

​Your kindness. Your empathy. Your care and concern. They’ll remember that you took the time to listen. That you stopped to ask them how they were. How they really were. They’ll remember the personal stories you tell about your life: your home, your pets, your kids. They’ll remember your laugh. They’ll remember that you sat and talked with them while they ate their lunch.

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