I've recently come into some bad news regarding school, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the economy. I've learned that two students I've had have died within the last few weeks. One I had while I taught at Opp. One I had up (literally) until last week.
Tlaloc came to Opp as a squirrely, but funny freshmen. He seemed to get along with most of the students, was not gang affiliated (at the time), and was the sort who I would laugh about after school because of the crazy things he'd say. The next year he came to school with a major chip on his shoulder. Something happened over the summer and it made him an angry, angsty kid. We eventually put him into afternoon school because of the problems he was creating. His behavior, when he came, was horrible. Finally it was decided mom or dad would come with him. It did not improve for anybody. Then the summer came and I moved onto CHS. Every now and then I'd hear about him. It sounded like he was getting better. On Friday, I learned he died. He was being chased on foot by the police in Reno and took a crazy leap (from what I understand) which took his life.
The other student died on Sunday--that's right, Mother's Day. He'd been missing a lot of school and finally withdrew so he could attend Adult Ed. and get his GED. From what I understand he had been really going off into the deep end with drugs and such. When he was coming pretty regularly he made me laugh. He had an enthusiasm and was a leader in my off-beat, close-knit Media class. He would volunteer to read the part of Steve when we read Walter Dean Myer's novel Monster. His story was odd. The detectives are still working out the bugs. He was shoved out of his car on the highway in Washoe on the way to Reno. It sounds like Rene was shot prior to being pushed out of the car. He died. A man pulled over to see if he could help since he thought the car had broken down--this man is the father of a student I had last year. The murderer shot him in the leg (which did some damage) and took off. He pulled off the highway as soon as he could and began taking off his clothes as the police pursued him. Not only that, but he was throwing money away in the field as well (quite a bit, too). They found him naked in the bushes. This is what I know, fact wise.
Emotionally-wise, I'm stunned. Truly, utterly stunned. Things like this happen in the movies. Not here. Not to people I know. Not to people whom I am so connected to. It's all anyone can talk about as new information is still coming out. I feel so, well, I don't know. I'm upset. I'm angry. I'm sympathetic. I'm scared. I'm concerned. I'm optimistic. I don't know what to do. I want to offer help in a practical way but I'm at a loss as to what to do. I want to be available to my students in every possible way. The surreal events have cast a gloom over the doors of our high school for many while others seem completely unaware of anything. I wish things like this could make sense right away. I'm sure that would help in the grieving process. Perhaps that's a part of it. The grieving process is relieved in the search for a higher purpose to such seemingly pointless violence that touches so many.
The lyrics are from the song with the same title from Les Miserables.
