I got the news today that one of my former students, Catherine, passed away yesterday. Catherine was in my class for all four years that I taught and she quickly became my favorite (teachers are not supposed to have favorites but we all do). Catherine was really quiet and reserved when I first met her. A lot of people didn't even realize she could talk but it didn't take long to discover that she could talk up a storm. Every time something crazy happened in our classroom (which was often) Catherine would say "Oh My God". Writing that in a blog doesn't really do it justice because the tone of voice she used when she said it was really funny. Catherine loved cats and every so often, out of nowhere she would just say "meow". I had kept in touch with Catherine's family since I left teaching and just last week Catherine's mother said that they were going to her sister's to watch their cat and she could hear Catherine meowing. I just can't believe she's gone. In my line of work, it is an occupational hazard to have students die before their time. I've had three students from my last class die in the last four years (that is almost half the class from that year- we had 8 students in that class). Each of the deaths were very sad and difficult to take. Catherine was just so alive though. She wasn't sick. She had a disability but she was healthy. Its really a shock. When Tom (the principal of the school I worked at) told me about Catherine he said that when people hear about our job they think we are doing so much for kids but the students we work with give us back so much more. It is true. Catherine gave me so much more than I gave her. When I first started teaching, it was really difficult for me. It was my first "real" job and I had to create all my lessons and materials from scratch. I was so stressed out. When Catherine started coming out of her shell and talking, it made me think that maybe I was a good teacher and maybe I could do this job after all. She gave me the confidence to keep on going. Who knew a little girl with a big voice could shape the direction of my life. I never got to thank her properly for that. So Catherine, thank you so much for making such a difference in my life. I will miss you so much. Every time I hear a "Kitty Cat" meow I will think of you. Above are pictures of Catherine when she graduated last June.
