We got a sad e-mail from Anders' teacher this last weekend. One of his classmates passed away in an accident while camping with his family last week. It is incredibly tragic, and I can't express how much my heart aches for his family. I was sick to my stomach trying to think of how to tell Anders. He was shocked and cried, of course. Over the weekend a lot of the parents responded to the e-mail, and Mrs. Burgon, their teacher, arranged for the kids to come to her classroom today to be with each other and play and talk about whatever they needed to. It was a great experience for them to see each other, and really quite amazing to hear them talk about their friend Tyler, who passed away. This group of kids spelled out "Tyler Hatch is awesome!" with math blocks, totally independent of any adult interaction, while they talked about him and how they all felt when they found out what had happened.
Since Anders is part of this program, he keeps the same classmates through 6th grade. Mrs. Burgon, being their first teacher in the program, does an incredible job of making the class like a family, helping them learn to include everyone, learning that everyone is special, a hero, a friend, etc. so that they carry that through the rest of elementary school. It's awe-inspiring. I asked her today if she could just move up with this class and be their teacher forever. She said she would, but the 4th grade teacher won't quit. Ha ha! I admire her so much and could tell that she's taken this news really hard. She said that she almost quit teaching the year before last, but gave it one more try and got this group of kids, which she said has been the best group ever and made her realize that she could keep teaching. I tried to express to her how much of a difference she has made in the lives of all her students. I know she has made a difference with Anders. He LOVED 3rd grade. He was challenged in positive ways, was never bored and has made great friends.
The class is putting together a memory book for Tyler's family, and will sit together as a class at his funeral this weekend. We've been praying for them, that they will find peace and healing through this. I hope they will feel the love of the community and friends and that it brings them some comfort.
