Words that make the day

A student thanked me after class today for an assignment I gave, in which I had them pick a social issue they are concerned about and construct an argument about it. She picked an anti-abortion position (pro-life, as some like to call it). She told me she appreciated the assignment because she didn't really know a lot about it before, but that it pushed her to research and find reasons for her position. I'm not sure if this is heaven, but it has to be close. I mean, students thanking me for work I give them? If this trend of instant, positive feedback for teaching continues, I suppose a student next might give me an apple--better yet, Red Sox-Yankees tickets--for my efforts. (Hey, it might happen, right? One student informed me he's going to the game this Sunday. Feeling really jealous, I told him so. He told me that's why he told me, because he knew I'd be jealous.) When that happens, I will know for sure that I've passed on to another world.