So sorry to here about this tragedy. As you know I'm an instructor at a community college, what you don't know is I have lost students to violence also. It's a terrible thing to see a young life snuffed out so early. I wish I had some unique wisdom I could share with you, but all I can do is repeat what others have already stated. You are doing a great thing in teaching, and you are making more of a difference in your students lives than you realize. I have had students from years ago, see me out somewhere and tell me how much they appreciate something I said or did, that made a real impact on their lives and I had no idea! The same thing will happen to you if you hang in there! God bless you sir!
As horrible as loosing a life is, picking up and moving forward to help those still with you is what could be thought of as the noble thing to do. As a leader you can use this as an example and hopefully it might help others in the class or in future classes. That is what many of the young men today face and they thirst for a leader/mentor to help them on their way. I pray you can be that or that they find it so they might not find the same fate. I look back to several fellows who provided insight to me . Several have passed and weren't thanked. But others have been sought out and thanked. I want to thank you for your unselflessness and desire to educate the next generation. It is a thankless task, but one that must be done.
I have a young friend in his early 20's who is completing his first year as a body shop technical instructor here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for a local public school district. I have forwarded this post address for him to read and I am sure there are similarities in his day-to-day experiences with what you have experienced, and hopefully more positive than negative. Thanks for all you do and if only one young man's life is changed through your positive influence that is a wonderful story. Keep up the good work and sorry for your loss.
Hugger, even though like student has passed, clearly by the families choices ypu made a positive influence and effect on this student. There are other aspects of life the are way our of your control. Sounds like his time with you was something he truly enjoyed, as short as that time might be. I tough adult education auto tech classes, one of my students that you could tell had the mind and ability to become a great auto tech, he loved working on cars, and could had made a nice future for himself in field. I found out 1 year after my glass, got arrested for selling drugs, then before his sentence was up killed someone in prison, then in less than year after wad killed in prison. He left behind 2 little kids under 5. It's hard and sad when ypu can see the light ahead of them, but it's their choices in the end. On the same hand I had a student hunt me down last year, it's been 12 years or so since I had him in class. In class he struggled because he could hardly read. So in shop when the other were working on cars we were doing English and reading class. He was so mad then, but I told him in the end I would make sure he would have the knowledge to pass an ase test, but I promised him if he could not read he would almost for sure never pass them. By the end of class he was able to pass the brakes test. When he showed up at my shop he driving g a nicer truck than I can afford, ends up he went on to an automotive college in lima ohio, passed with better than 3.7 gpa, and is now a master certified gm, and ford tech and could probably school me on many things. The point is for ever bad there is a good, it doesn't make the bad easier, especially when in the end we might.not see where the good in life comes from or ends up, keep the faith, put out the good, it will change someone's life, even if only 1 person
Those years are very tough years. I have no doubt you make a positive impression on many more than you lose. You're a good man.
