When Students Become Colleagues

Since I am currently supervising student teachers and teaching online graduate courses at Grand Canyon University, I am blessed to be able to do this no matter where I travel (for work or pleasure). Online teaching is fine, of course, unless the internet does not work at a travel location, which is my current situation. I used the word "fine" intentionally because I simply don't love it nearly as much as I do teaching in person (or watching teachers teach in person versus via Zoom or watching videos). Why? To tell you the answer to that, I could simply share my dissertation with you). The research I did was about teacher trust in school leaders, but it is so applicable to any supervisor/supervisee relationship. I am blessed (again) to be friends on social media with so many of the former staff I worked with when I was a principal in Florida. Of course I was careful about the "friendships" when I became a principal, and as much as I miss being the principal of that near-perfect school, I love that I can be friends on social media with former teachers, staff, parents, and even students. 
I feel the same way about any former students at Grand Canyon University and at Trinity University. What a Godwink to find out that one of my former Trinity University students is now a choral director at a school district near us in Texas and just happens to be the choral director at our church. Other students from Trinity made the concerted to keep in touch with me, as well, and I even got mentioned in the acknowledgements of a book one of those students wrote. Who keeps in touch like that with their teachers and professors? Oh! I kept in touch with my own professors, as well, after I graduated from my bachelors degree, masters degree and doctoral degree. Why? Because we had formed relationships that graduation from the particular institution would only make better!
Becoming a colleague with my students has been a precious gift I have been given quite a few times. One of my students who graduated from Grand Canyon University (GCU) with his masters degree in Educational Administration found out I was going to be teaching a workshop for school leaders in upstate New York, and he asked if he could attend the workshop . Luckily, his Superintendent felt it was a worthy cause and paid for him to come. What a joy it was to meet him in person! Another student became a principal in a charter school in New Jersey, and he asked if I would come up and teach his teachers how to improve their skills in engaging their students in the learning. No hesitation on my part---what a pleasure to meet him in person after teaching him for his last semester at GCU. 
In fact, I have become colleagues and friends with students I mentored through their dissertation process, and it is so rewarding to change roles, even though we all know it was the gift of education that brought us together in the first place. Now, getting them to stop calling me "Dr. A" is another story, but I suppose I understand that problem. Almost 30 years had passed since Dr. John Moore (the former chair of the education department at Trinity University who passed away this past year) had been my professor when Dave and I went up to Sedona to spend time with him and his lovely wife, Suzanne, but there was no way I could call him anything but Dr. Moore (Dave could call him "John" but not me! That respect and loving rapport he earned from me in college was not going to change because I was almost as old as he had been when he taught me). 
When my student teachers or my graduate students leave my tutelage, I always say, "Once my student, always my colleague" and I have had the distinct pleasure of staying in touch with several of my students for years (and having the joy of watching them earn the roles they had only dreamed about when I was their professor). 
Who is a teacher or professor you remember the most and with whom you still remain in contact? 
Just for today, perhaps consider letting them know how grateful you are to have learned from them and likely taught them a thing or two, as well. 

Happy Communicating,
Shelly 

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