Wedding Blog

In the summer of 2003, I began teaching yet another semester of college Sophomore Composition & Literature; just another school semester, nothing special, except that Mr. Petunia (whom I did not yet know would become Mr. Petunia) just happened to be a student in my class.

He was, on his own right, an exceptional student. He was older than most of our college’s students. He had recently finished his stint in the Air Force and was starting college late. He was bright and well read, and impressed me based on that alone. He always participated eagerly in our class discussions. True, he came to see me during office hours more often than most, and asked questions about Robert Frost’s poems or perhaps extra ones about one of the latest assigned stories for discussions.

On the last paper of the semester, he scored only averagely, and I was disappointed — not because I had developed any kind of feelings for him: I had not. I did not, in any way, allow myself to develop personal feelings for students. But I have taught students ranging from middle school levels through high school, community college and university levels: whether it’s students who struggle, who show improvement, who share with you personal stories or who just simply shine, there are students with whom you just simply identify, and for whom you root and therefore, who can also disappoint — and you sometimes take things personally….