The students I taught during 2007, the first year of their three-year master degree program in nurse anesthesia, had their graduation ceremony on August 28th. What a wonderful surprise awaited me at my students’ graduation ceremony! I have been the science faculty in the anesthesia program for thirty-five years. The courses I teach during the first year provide the foundation in science that the students will build on throughout the rest of the program and their professional lives.
Now I have a plaque and a huge stack of cards sent by my former students, some of them from the very first class, to commemorate these years. The program director’s complimentary speech about the students’ evaluations of my teaching over the many years was a joy to hear announced to a large audience mostly comprised of the graduates’ families and friends. The generous check and the beautiful flowers were welcome too. But the teary-eyed smiles of my former students and the heartfelt messages in the many cards were the best parts of the surprise. These cards and the associated memories will be treasured always.
Now I have a plaque and a huge stack of cards sent by my former students, some of them from the very first class, to commemorate these years. The program director’s complimentary speech about the students’ evaluations of my teaching over the many years was a joy to hear announced to a large audience mostly comprised of the graduates’ families and friends. The generous check and the beautiful flowers were welcome too. But the teary-eyed smiles of my former students and the heartfelt messages in the many cards were the best parts of the surprise. These cards and the associated memories will be treasured always.
