Today I learned that a young man I taught about ten years ago is the current reigning heart throb on a Philippine television show titled "My Bonondo Girl" This exciting news tidbit came to my attention when a news crew from a local Bay Area Filipino television station showed up to film at Ben Franklin Intermediate, our little Daly City, California middle school.When I was his 7th grade teacher, I knew him as Alex Lim. My memory could be faulty (after all, I've taught 10 more years since Alex was in my class!) but I think of him as being rather artistic. He was a sweet boy with a good sense of humor. Nowadays he goes by the name of Xian Lim, and he is quite the good looking young man! Check out the photos on his website to see how dreamy he is now. No wonder he's a heart throb.
All this just goes to show that teachers can never tell where their students will end up. We spend our days together for nine months in a very intense relationship which ends abruptly when they fly away in June. Sometimes my students stay in touch with me, but more often than not, I never hear from them again. What a pleasure to find about a former student who has made a success of his life. Of course, I'd like to take some credit for that success; after all, teaching him English must have had some effect on his ability to act!