Incidents like these are why I became a teacher. I wanted to be that soft place where young people could fall when they needed to. I want to make sure that all young people feel important and cared for in all that they do. That's not to say that situations like this are not heartbreaking, they are. We often can't "fix" the root issue for these young people, we can try but it's often so much bigger than one person. Teaching is so much more than the curriculum and in many ways this is our real work; making sure that students are cared for on many levels.
Rachel (@TechmoRachel) is a middle school resource teacher who loves computers, math, quilting, cycling and her dogs.