Plan Diverted

Today was supposed to be my last day of Life Skills with one of my 8th Grade teams.  Supposed to be.

I was pumped!  We have had a great semester together and according to building professionals, the students were actually paying attention and applying the information to real-life situations.  That's EXACTLY what I was hoping to achieve!

I had planned a quick little ditty to share with them--something about enjoying the past 10 weeks, wishing them well in their future endeavors, etc.  Nothing too "mushy" because after all, they're teen-agers and already have life figured out.  Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight ;-)

Last night I caught wind of something concerning on Facebook.  I checked the 10 o'clock news and something had happened earlier that evening that warranted a significant response from our local police department--but no details were being released.

Being my typical curious self, I turned the news back on this morning and nothing was said.  I still wanted some kind of "answer" so I checked a local radio's website on my way out the door.  They were reporting that a 14-year old's body was found yesterday over by the Middle School I was headed to.  News reports indicate that it is being treated as a homicide.

My stomach dropped.  My 8th graders are 14 years old.  Was it one of my students?  Naturally, I wanted to know what I was getting into so I did a quick Facebook check.  He was a Freshman at our local high school.

The first person I saw at the school was the principal and I quickly learned that the individual had attended that very Middle School--we talked about what to expect during the day and the faculty's crisis plan.  I had a very bad feeling about things.  After all, the usually buzzing cafetaria was silent.

First Hour started and the students were stone-cold zombies.  Not a single word was spoken.  An announcement was made and half the class burst into tears.  We gave the students a few minutes to themselves and then gently, I started my unit. 

It was a disaster.  The kids were unresponsive and completely distracted.  As they should be.  Their world of invincibility had just been rocked.  Honestly, I just wanted to put the books down and let them be.  I knew the group discussions and role plays were not going to happen.  I hit the major parts of the unit and wrapped it up a few minutes early so they could have time to themselves.  I'm not sure who was more relieved to be done--the students or myself?

At that point, the principal, teacher, social worker and I decided to call it quits and reschedule for a later date.  We wanted the day to be as "normal" as possible but they had some serious issues to work through.  The school office was bursting with traumatized students.  Rumors and stories were spreading like wildfire.  It was not the time for Life Skills...or my little pep talk about their potential in life.

Not much is being released right now.  For me, the details don't matter.  Unfortunately, a 14 year old boy lost his life and I can't even fathom what his family and support system is going through right now.  His friends, neighbors, classmates and teammates shouldn't have to experience such a loss.  I hope the students are able to draw on some of the coping methods we talked about this semester. The grieving process isn't easy and things are confusing at their age.  I hope that as the investigation reveals answers or clues, the kids can find peace.  In the meantime, please keep the young man's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.