Dear Prudence,
I’m a 43-year-old man and recently began my teaching career. I was a late-in-life college student and earned my degree at 38. Teaching these students made me wonder about those I went to school with who I lost contact with. A little background: I went to four different high schools in three states and discovered through research I had a 30 percent chance of dropping out, but never thought of doing that. I have a single yearbook from my graduating year, but never got a book for grades 9-to-11. I decided to do research and received one from my junior year, and I’m waiting on information for my freshman and sophomore year. I thought about what everyone is doing and thought of doing a YouTube series about where they are. However, I’m torn. I have not told my partner my plan yet because he thinks I like to be the center or main character of activities, and I’m trying to move away from that because I don’t like others feeling they don’t matter. I know this would center on me as the person who went to all these schools, but I want to use it as a platform for them to express where they have gone in life. Let them tell their stories, and see the different paths people travel after school. I’m documenting a list of students from my senior and junior year, and I’m still really good friends with students I went to school with, but I want to make contact with some I haven’t seen since high school. I think I am looking for advice to know if this is a healthy endeavor or if I should leave the past in the past.
— Journey to the Past