How Things Change

...so off to EL today to finish moving grandma's stuff out of her house so that her house can be sold. I can't imagine the stress of moving out of a home after living in it for 20 years. Probably because the longest I've been in one place is 5 years...My mom and two of her sisters are preparing the stuff that cannot fit into the assisted living apartment for a tag sale. Great-grandmas punch bowl for a dollar.

As if that is not enough emotional stress, I get a phone call on the way out. One of my students has been arrested and charged with assult and battery with a dangerous weapon. He happened to be one of the students that I bonded with. The man he beat up, has now died, there might be a manslaughter charge added. He's 17. He will be charged as an adult. Monday I checked my class list, and called my fellow teacher to tell her that he was in my class again and I couldn't wait to see him. Out of all 120 students listed on my roster, he's the only name I said.

I really thought I would have a second chance with him.

He would steal my coffee in the morning try to hide it, he would pester me the days he came in exactly at 8 am to go to the bathroom. We'd get on each others nerves. My favorite was as I pushed my "shopping" cart full of books and files down the hall he'd jump on it. My feet would slide along the floor and I'd distort my face to make it look as if I were straining. The other teachers would yell at him to get off, we'd laugh and eventually he'd come to my side and push the cart to the other side of the building.

Posession, distribution, intent to sell - sure he probably did that, and I would not be surprised if he got a few months probation for that, but never in a million years would I think he'd get picked up for what could end up being murder.

What now? What's my role...People are horrified that I want to do something...but it breaks my heart to think this funny kid will rot in jail.