Write Your Name on Your Paper

I would like to have a dollar for every single time I said that in my 37 years of teaching English. I am sure that I would be rich.

Actually, I said, "Write your name on your paper so that when you become rich and famous, I will become rich with your signature." The kids laughed at my idiotic remark, but signed their names. They knew I would never save all of their papers, and they were almost right. I have a HUGE box of reports and other school ephemera ready to be burned this winter. 

But I am reasonably sure that one of Marcus Westberg's treasures with signature is not in my stash. He was one of my shining students back in the mid 1990's (20 years ago!). If I remember correctly, Marcus was such a sharp student that his fifth grade teachers at The American School of The Hague recommended that he jump right over sixth grade, and then he landed in my 7th grade English class. 

Besides remembering Marcus as a conscientious student from Sweden, one of the Scandinavian countries, I had not thought about him in two decades. Until this week I realized that I was following him on Instagram. How that happened, I do not know. But I did let him know that his old English teacher was keeping an eye on him, while he and his wife Kate are keeping a photographer's eye on our beautiful world.

Take a moment to check out Marcus's Instagram (@lifethroughalensphotography) and their website (www.lifethroughalens.com).Click here.

Another example of how "rich" teachers can become from the students they had the privilege of teaching.

(Photo source: Marcus Westberg- www.LifeThroughALens.com)