Some sad news. This past weekend one of my former students died in a motorcycle accident. Apparently, he was drunk and when his friends took his car keys away from him he took off on somebody's motorcycle and lost control, hitting the side of a store. He was booking so it couldn't have been a pretty sight. I'm glad nobody else was hurt or killed.
Jonathan was basically a good hearted guy. He was good looking, charming, talked incessantly and was a gifted athlete. He was also impulsive and his parents were not very involved, at least academically. He had some learning disabilities. I hate this kind of news. I've had other former students die. Two were shot in drug deals gone bad and another died of AIDS. They were all basically good kids with terrible parents.
When you've been teaching for a while, this happens. You lose former students. It comes with the job. Some make it and some don't. My husband taught math for so many years and he lost students as well -- to accidents, disease, suicide and one heroin overdose of a truly gifted pianist. Losing a student never ceases to shock us. All you can say is, "What a waste of a precious life."
When you work in an elementary school, though, as I do, you almost feel that you've lost one of your own. I see these kids every six schools days from the time they enter kindergarten until they graduate in sixth grade. In some small sense, I feel I've helped raised them. If only we could do something to prevent these tragedies.
7 comments:
Stella,
I'm so sorry. I've had just a taste of this--watching a few of the kids at my son's elementary school with problems, but nothing like this. Plus, having had the kids as students has to make it horrible when they die.
Hang in there. You made a bit of their lives good by being there when you were.
Becky
That's so sad. What a waste. I bet this is really hard on the kids that took his keys. They'll always wonder if they could have done more to stop him. So unfair.
That is so sad. I think alot of kids do stupid things during the "invincible" stage of life. Some just aren't lucky enough to live through it I guess.
I'm sorry for your pain, Stella. And I feel horrible for those kids who tried to take the keys away. What a terrible thing to have to live with.
So sad- I'm so sorry, Stella.
Stella, I'm so sorry to hear this sad news. As a teacher, I, too, have seen this sort of thing happen. My first year teaching, one of my seniors was celebrating New Years with a boy who graduated the year before (he was also the brother of one of our young teachers). My student was the impaired one and refused to let the other drive. There was a horrible accident, and the sober boy died. I watched as my student dealt with guilt and anger and despair. He let some of it out in his poetry.
I watched as he went through house arrest, ankle bracelet in tact, and his grief turned to cynicism. That was 14 years ago. I don't know what happened to him, but I know he carries a heavy load.
Becky is right--you have touched their lives and brought some light that will never be doused.
Thanks, my friends. It must have been a horrible ordeal for your former student to go through, Mary Ann. I'm not sure you ever quite get over something like that, no matter how many years go by. We always told our boys that if they were ever impaired in any way that we'd rather they call us, no matter what hour of the night, rather than try to drive. They and their friends have been very good about that. Anybody who has had more than one beer isn't allowed to drive. When I was in college, I remember kids going "road drinking". Given, it was way out in farm country, but still, how stupid is that?
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