Better than a raise

I received a very thoughtful email from one of my former students about an experience he had in a political science class this semester. The professor asked the class a question and, he writes: "I waited a moment, though I had a question already burning in my head, to hear what my classmates had to say. They all gave good answers at which point the professor politely nodded and dutifully wrote them on the board, but I still had one problem... The answers were perfect if we were only considering American cities formed during the industrial revolution. I finally asked the question that your class helped me write, "are we considering cities in the 19th and 20th century, or throughout human evolution?" Instantly, the professor perked up and began to engage us in the conversation that he really wanted to have. I chimed in a little with some of the knowledge you gave me this summer as well as with some of my past experiences and readings. Now, I do think I would have been instantly skeptical of this question never having taken your class, BUT, I would not have had the words or the breadth of evidence to ask it, I might have kept quiet. It's as if something about the question bothered me and you helped me put my finger on it, turn it around, and make it work for me.

I felt like writing this email to let you know that today, in a real way, one of your students used something he learned in your class to further his education and hopefully the education of 29 other people."

As a teacher, this is just about the most meaningful thing you can hope to hear. It is from the student who asked me out, but still.