Monday, May 22, 2006

A Pleasant Tonic To the Sometimes Dreary Tone Of These Pages - Actually It Reads A Bit Like It Might Have Resulted From Too Much Gin & Tonic

I want to give my advanced seminar perfect scores, chili peppers, cookies and every other accolade I can bestow upon them.

Your papers are wonderful. Your lack of grade-grubbing is refreshing. The memory of cramming three or four of you at a time into my office so that we can talk about the class (and life in general) will stay with me for a long time. The stories of your dinners, meetings and other escapades involving our class will always make me smile. The way in which you embraced the class truly moved me, and I am fortunate to have had the chance to work with you.

I have only two regrets. The first is that I was blessed with a once-in-a-lifetime group of students in only my second class as an instructor. Your standard will be difficult for others to surpass. The second is that I had to teach you guys in a temporary building. It makes me very sad to know that I will not be able to come back to this place in 10 years, and just sit in that classroom for a moment and remember.