fond farewell

6 May 2009 news 0 Comments

Yesterday was my last day of class, and I was touched by the number of students who lingered afterward to express their appreciation for all we accomplished together this past semester.  I came in to my office yesterday morning, and found a vase of lovely red flowers left by a student; on Monday a student stayed behind to give me a pretty pair of earrings and a heartfelt note.  That evening I was taken out to dinner by my AfAm colleagues, and they thoughtfully gave me a membership to both the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Brooklyn Museum!  We went out to dinner, and it wasn’t at all awkward (as I had thought it might be).  When all is said and done, I have made some really good friends at my job, and I will miss them when I’m gone.  I’m *very* proud of my students, and know they’ll go on to change the world with all they’ve learned in college.  This morning I woke up and found this sincere email in my inbox:

Hi Prof.

I my not have the chance to tell you this before I depart MHC so this
is an early goodbye and thanks for all.  I know that as students we
often ‘disturb’ you and i think sometimes you may not understand your
value to us.  But I would just like to say that you have been a
remarkable source of inspiration for me.

You and the classes you have taught are the reason I chose to be an
African American studies major.  Were it not for your thought provoking
and intellectually challenging subject matter, i would not now (1) be
celebrating a major which i harbored some disdain for and (2) allowed
myself to be identified as a feminist.

Your personality, while sometimes it may seem stern, was always
welcoming.  Despite what you may have heard.  And the one thing I was
sure of when coming to your office is, even if we disagreed, being
received with enormous respect.

I sincerely apologize if at any time I did not return it.  You have
made a significant contribution to the MHC community, and to the AFROAM
program, and I know for a fact that the department would have suffered
without your presence this last 3yrs.  You will leave a gap of fresh
ideas, methods, and approaches of how to engage African American
Studies.

It is to the detriment of the college that they will not tenure your
position, and many students will suffer due to the college’s
unwillingness to invest in the program by adding your expertise to the
excellent group of scholars already at MHC.

I can only hope to one day reflect your passion and dedication.

I will miss your influence, but with tears in my eyes….THANK YOU SO
VERY MUCH.  I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH.

God speed

N

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