I have good students. Despite anything in my posts that suggest otherwise due to low test scores on books not read, I have good students. In APN, the senior class I teach with Gillian Hart, we trust our students with anything, which is not easy because there’s that voice in the back of our heads that says, “They’re young. Watch out. They might disappoint you and make you look bad.” And, yeah, they do that now and again, but they come through again and again when given the opportunity.
Nikki Kikuchi (now Ueda) was one of my good students in APN and graduated many years ago, maybe 2008. She’s funny because she doesn’t think she’s that great. She, like any general good student mentioned above, never disappointed me, except when she thought that she wasn’t so great. She got A’s in my senior English class, smiled a lot, had a solid group of friends that might have been trouble outside of school, played basketball rather adequately, and was probably in student council. Yeah, big deal, right? She was even in the homecoming court because she was nominated by others.
I’m always reminded of her because the person who teaches next door to me thinks way highly of her, as do I. We often tell her this, and did the other day on Facebook when it was her birthday, but Nikki just blows us off like we’re talking out our arses, which we often do, too. We always tell her that she doesn’t get it, the reason we think highly of her. And she’ll just smile or be self-deprecating in some way to deflect. We get it; she doesn’t.
This is Nikki.
–shows up to class and is happy
–has read or done whatever needed to be read or done
–can carry on a conversation with a teacher
–doesn’t make excuses, but doesn’t need to in the first place
–is up for anything
–can take criticism and not need a safe space
–can assimilate into any group, young or old
–works and plays hard
–she “buys in” to whatever she’s doing
–still doesn’t get it
She ended up at El Camino, and then transferred and graduated from UCLA. She worked for Lionsgate Films, but didn’t “feel it,” so she ended up at Mattel doing something she likes. She comes by now and again to see the struggle, but not because she wants something. Sometimes there are sweets involved, ones that she brings for her old teachers. There will also be little reminders from her about Mattel and how she can get a discount and if we have kids who need something (because APN does volunteering and community service).
I have awesome students every year and may even have a future Nikki Kikuchi (now Ueda) in APN. But I have to feel that she thought a little less of herself because the school didn’t erect a temple for her GPA, or her AP scores, or her CST scores, or her SAT scores, or her ACT scores, or her CAHSEE scores, which were probably fine.
El Camino, UCLA, workforce, married, probably drives a Prius and listens to NPR in it–if she’s not private, you can look her up online. Oh, and if you know any more people like her, please send them to all our classes so teachers could have something to look forward to. Even on a Thursday.