An Alumni Success Story

We could all use some good news these days. As a former middle school science teacher, my good news came in the form of a Facebook post from a former student. I was Jan’s 8th grade science teacher during my first teaching job in South Florida. We reconnected over Facebook during her first year of medical school. On Monday, she posted on Facebook that she received notification from the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) that she has matched for her residency! 

I immediately congratulated her for her achievement:

It was definitely a proud teacher moment! I’m not in the classroom any more, but if I was, wouldn’t it be great if I could invite her to be a guest speaker? “Things I wish I knew before I decided to be a Doctor” or “How to get from High School to Med School” or even “What science classes are really like in college”. 

Of course, if I was in the classroom right now, I’d have to do this virtually with my students, but it sounds like a good alternative to teaching traditional science content and curriculum via Zoom or Google Classroom! It could also buy me some time while I figure out how to pivot to hands on virtual learning. (Is that even possible?)

As educators are faced with the challenges of school closures (potentially through the fall), is there a way to utilize alumni to support learning? Share your ideas in the comments! 

Stay healthy!