Tarif is one of those students I will never forget. I had him 11 years ago as a 5th grader.He is one of 7 children in his family. I worked with his older sister and twin brother through student council and I always said, that anyone in his family would have my vote for President of the United States.
Tarif worked hard in my classroom, but what I enjoyed most was his charisma. He respected the working environment of school, yet brought such life and light and humor to the day. He was witty and kind to his peers and respectful to all. I LOVED having him in class.
One thing you can't know in this job, is how you affect the students. You have them for 10 short months and then they move on. Few students keep in touch for a bit. Others I get to have siblings and get updates.
Tarif is an adult now and very involved in theater. I finally had the chance to go see him as the lead in "Jekyll and Hyde." He was UH-MAZING! He is so incredibly talented both as an actor and as a singer. He's an entertainer as he always has been!
We have kept in touch via Facebook, over the years, so when I saw him it was the first time since I had him in class (I was pregnant with Haley then). After the show he was surrounded by so many people waiting to see him. He looked up, saw me, and his face lit up. "Oh my God!" he said and he parted the crowd to get to me. He hugged me with ones of those hugs that squeezes you and lifts you off your feet a bit. He was just as excited to see me as I was to see him.
My kids got to see him in the next show we went to. It seriously made my spirits soar. I felt proud and honored.
Can't wait to see what the future holds for Tarif.
He still has my vote for President.
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