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"Anna? I've met many girls named Anna. Can you be a bit more specific? Oh, that girl from high school? I swear her name wasn't Anna, but oh well. Of course I remember her. She was the first girl I ever kissed. Brown hair, blue eyes, I think. She was a sweetie. She's working in New York now? Funny, I never really expected her to leave home. She was such a sweet, simple girl, so unlike the crowd I hang out with these days. I don't think of her often, but every once in a while, I wonder what might have been... She's the reason I still have a soft side, you know. And the reason I'm not afraid to let things go that aren't working out. New York really isn't that far. Maybe I'll look her up sometime, you know, in between girlfriends or something."
"Ah yes, I don't really remember the name, but I remember the girl. She stood out in my mind as being the quietest girl in class. She always just did her homework, handed it in, and moved on. No grand quest for knowledge there, nor any complaints when she got a less than ideal grade. It was refreshing, really, to have a student who simply was: neither an overachiever, nor underachiever. It is truly rare to find someone with such a perfect balance. Some would call it 'average', but truly, it isn't average at all. I've had thousands of students, so trust me, I know. I suppose it still might seem odd that I remember her from among those thousands, but from what I just told her, it shouldn't seem odd at all. Strangely, she renewed my love of teaching. I knew I was making an impact on her, even though she never spoke to me, never tried to suck up, never complained. So she married a mathematician? Somehow, I'm not surprised. I knew there was something there. Even if she was not in love with the field herself, I could easily see her falling in love with someone who was."
"I've had hundreds of students. I can't possibly remember them all. Was this the one from freshman lit in fall of 2000? I think I do remember her. Well, not her in particular, but something she said. We were reading this book, the specific title is not important to you, I'm sure, but it in was a young man who was always striving to be more, always seeking to be and achieve more than what he was. Some students saw him as a great man, others saw him as a tragic figure. Anna was quiet for a moment until I prompted her for an opinion. She took a few seconds to reply, but then she said, 'If he could learn to be content with where he is now, I think he would better succeed in what he wants to be.' I will never forget that. It was such a bizarre thing to say, that being content could push you to be something more, but somehow, it rung true. That is one of few things that really stood out in my mind from my recent years of teaching. I would have given her an A just for that statement. I think I ended up giving her an A- based on the other work she did. The work I can't even remember."
"The girl you are talking about was in my class senior year. I can say little other than she could have done better. It was a boy who got in her way. It always is. But even when I gave her grades that we both knew were not representative of her capabilities, all she did was smile. Now, I'm a professor of psychology, so of course I understand. That's why I did nothing to change it. But still, a mind like that is a rare thing. I could have given her an A+ and it would have made no difference. No matter what happened, she was really, truly, happy. I understand what makes a person like that, but I can't even make myself like that. I think of her, and I truly wish I could."
"Oh, Anna! Of course, she's our top receptionist! And so loved by the children. I wish we could let her do more, but the jobs simply aren't available. I always feel like she has a calming influence on the children. One boy in particular, from when she first started here, I remember he used to always be so hostile and refused to be honest with me. But shortly after Anna started here, I saw a change. He seemed more relaxed and, slowly but surely, began to open up more. I know what did it because I saw one day the way he looked at her when he was leaving the office and I was giving Anna some paperwork to file. He loved her, in that sweet, innocent, child-like way, and he wanted to get better because of her. I never told Anna, mostly for fear that her knowing would make things awkward, but now that that little boy has moved on, maybe I should. She really is a special person, even if it was just one little boy who noticed it."
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