Running into Old Students

Tonight, I ran into an old student bagging our groceries at Publix, now a senior at Lyman HS. “Mr. Lucas?” he asked. I hadn’t looked up from under my hat as we were laying out our items from the cart, but he seemed to recognize the Niners logo on my cap. “I had your typing class in 6th Grade. I was a Chiefs fan. I’m Derek.” He paused. “I’m pretty fast at typing now.” I didn’t remember his name until he told me, but I recognized his face. “Hey, man! So what’s next after high school?” I asked. “I don’t know. Maybe this. I’m not sure.” He seemed awkward saying that to an old teacher. “It’s okay, bud. You’ll figure it out.” The exchange wasn’t anything profound, not like he was conquering galaxies or changing lives yet, but it was nice, seeing a grown-up student from years before, even for a class I only taught briefly, over two semesters. Everyone has their own path, their own pace.