willie

i went to a funeral service/viewing for a student i worked with for the last two years. i hadn't seen her since i changed districts in june, but didn't think the next time i saw her would be like this....
she was dressed up like a princess, tiara, pink dress, the works. another student, who became her boyfriend this year, wrote and read a tear-jerker of a card he wrote her...."i think you'll like heaven" is how it ended. her aunt mentioned her endless number of notebooks, filled with simple lines and circles, maybe a few odd numbers, which made me think about her time cards she filled out in my classes- i hope i still have a few in my boxes of stuff... i know i still have the cranes the students made her for the "One World" celebration.
more than a few folks mentioned her stubborness; one way i got her to do her work was to offer to let her borrow one of my special pens (she'd usually pick red or purple). right before i said goodbye to her, i put a red one in her casket for her ....
rest in peace Brenda