reunion with my elementary school teacher

Even though I’ve moved out of my old neighbourhood in North York, I still have lots of connections to the place and make it out there at least a few times a week. Today, Ali and I went to our old elementary school. Lots has changed about the school and lots of stuff are still the same. After talking with the secretarial staff for a good while we headed out to the school yard to see my old Grade 6 teacher. Out of all the teachers and profs that have taught me in the last 19 years, he is probably one of my favourites. He looks exactly as I remember him! We chatted for a while about the old days and what we’d been up to and what my Kingslake friends were up to now. He told me to come by to his class next time I’m around and talk to his kids. He was saying that some of the kids aren’t very motivated, so it’d be nice to have someone come and talk about how they were once at Kingslake and have “made it”. It kind of made me sad to hear that, but I can understand why. I suspect not much has changed about the demographics of the kids at kingslake from when I was a student there. Most of the kids are immigrants with immigrant parents with English as a second language, they live in the surrounding high rise apartments and don’t have too many resources. I mean I know I’m not really inspirational, and I’m just an average person, but I’m actually thinking seriously of going in and just hanging out with the kids one day. Thinking back to when I was in grade 6, I use to love having older (but not necessarily my teacher’s age) helpers in the classroom. I use to think they were so cool and out of this world!

If I was rich and famous I’d make donations to two places and Kingslake is on top of that list.

I wrote this on 16 November 07 when I was feeling .

Comment

  1. matt says,

    What a cute story. I would love to visit my old elementary school, but i don’t think any teacher would remember the non-descript quiet Asian.

 
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