Loss

I got the sad news yesterday that one of my former students fell from a tree this weekend and died. I was so saddened by his loss. He was a wonderful boy. I had him in my 5th grade class 5 years ago. He had immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador a year earlier and was still very quiet and shy when I had him. He was a very hard worker and so respectful and pleasant to be around. He moved to a new house part way though his 5th grade year and had to change schools. The entire class was sad to see him go. I saw him a few times after that - and various ESL functions. He always went out of his way to come great me.
The thing that keeps running though my mind is that he really was a good boy. The kids I work with have so many negative influences - gangs, drugs, teen pregnancy... those things never even came close to Jose. He played soccer and took boxing lessons. And on the night of his accident, he was at home, playing ball with the neighbors. He was one of our success stories. It is so hard to come to terms with the fact that his story has ended.