Dean's List

My niece made the Dean's list at her college.  That means I am related to someone who made the Dean's list.  If my offspring ever made the Dean's list I have forgotten it or maybe they didn't tell me.  I, myself, never made the Dean's list.  I graduated with honors from Saint Cloud State University but, I don't know, did we have Deans?  I do remember one time in 9th grade at Parkview Middle School a letter came home from the school addressed to my parents. My parents ceremoniously opened it in front of me.  Sweating bullets I was, sweating actual beads of sweat because this was my first year of public school since kindergarten and I had no idea what I was in for.  The letter was from the ninth grade social skills teacher.  On the top were gold letters proclaiming "Letter of Commendation."  That was not reassuring to me.  Commendation and Condemnation are pretty close as far as letters go and also length of the word and I was assuming the worst. Private school never sent letters of commendation and I wasn't familiar with them.  Condemnation was a more common theme in private school. Even though I was reassured, my mood had slipped so low before I understood that I ended up more traumatized than flattered. LOL. Silly ninth grade me! What was my ninth grade teacher's name?  I don't even remember.  But I thank him for seeing the marvelous in me before I could see it myself.