September Reflection

Extreme Wait... Loss.

     This Monday was like any other May Monday when I woke up. I performed my normal before-work routine, but this time when I arrived, I arrived to extremely somber news.

     Over the weekend, there was a fire at one of my student's homes. The fire started on the first floor while she was on the third floor. Yala was flown to CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) in serious condition. Two adults and one child, her 6-year-old sister (Adeni), were pronounced dead at the scene.

     Students came into our computer lab and homeroom balling their eyes out over their friend. With absolutely no time to process these events, my colleagues and I immediately went into consolation mode, confirming what we could about the news and reassuring them that as soon as we learned the absolute facts, we would tell them what we could.

     Social media was of absolutely no help. Over the weekend, rumors had been spread about her death and the causes of the fire, and everybody's aunt, uncle, or second cousin twice removed knew something about the incident. We were on a constant roller coaster of emotions.

     In the morning, we learned that Yala was in a coma and on life support, but that the outlook wasn't very promising... In the afternoon, we learned that we had lost our 11-year-old Yala to the fire as well. As I was in another school when I received the news, my colleagues were sending sobbing children home on the buses with horrible news.

     The next day was no easier. Many children arrived crying. Some were soon sent back home. There was a psychologist on site to help those who stayed through the myriad number of emotions they were attempting to navigate... and we tried our best to keep it together.

     After school on Wednesday, a psychologist was called in for those of us close to her. I missed it for a track meet though. I heard it was helpful. That night was the first night I cried over her loss.

     This was a blossoming student... a super-intelligent, never-in-trouble, always smiling, genuinely happy student. God knows I understand death as the true unknown. It just happens when it happens. She and her sister were the only children her parents had though... Can you imagine?? In the blink of an eye, everything has changed...

     Last week, this young child and I jokingly fought over the math facts sheet she had just filled out so she couldn't add another answer once the time was up... and tomorrow is her funeral.

What a horrible reason to remember that not one of our days together down here on Earth ought to be taken for granted! It's so cliché, but it's true... What do you want?

     This was a long week. One of my longest. When life stops for one person, the others affected by that loss have to somehow continue. It's one of the hardest lessons I've ever had to teach my students...

I'm starting to think that it's so hard because I'm still learning the lesson myself.