Students aren't supposed to die...

One of our students passed away on Wednesday in a brutal shooting. He was shot 6 times over a dispute with another man about a woman.

Though this wasn't a student I have had in my classroom, it still hits home to watch the impact it has on the seniors at school. Many of the staff were affected by the loss also.

I couldn't imagine losing one of my current students. Even the ones who hardly say a word or give me a hard time. I would miss their presence in the class, even if they are total jerks. Deep down, many of them are just kids. Many students don't think they're vulnerable to the cruelties of reality but it's moments like these that really send the message that we're all human and that being young doesn't serve as an exception to the violence of others.

I try to think that it's only a matter of time before something like this happens to somebody I actually teach.

It's tough to deal with the emotional traumas of urban living. Students have these interesting stories to tell and I've basically been the listener to these students. They have so much to say and nobody to listen to them (even if some of them are compulsive liars). Counseling has been offered by all the schools in the building for grieving students so I can only hope that the environment of tragedy is temporary.

It's been a while since I've had the urge to cry but it's hard to hold back when you see some of your students in total disarray and listen to their memories of this young man (lousy student, but a memorable character - one of "those"). I never want to lose a student.