Death of a student

Last week was one of the longest weeks of my life!...It all began with this text.

Oh my goodness! Friends, I hope none of you ever receive this news. I hope I never receive this news again!! There are no words to describe it!
After receiving the news, I went and visited her mother. She was broken. Just broken!  All night I kept questioning myself...Why didn't I talk about safety for Labor Day activities? Why? WHY??

School was out on Monday. Thanks goodness! I needed a day to calm down!

Tuesday morning came quickly. When the alarm went off, I felt sick! I knew I had to face my students. I had to be strong even though I wasn't. Before the students got to school, coworkers met in my classroom for a word of prayer. That is a moment in time I will remember forever!

That morning, students came in and we read a story about death and drew our favorite memories of MaTaya. So far, my students have taken her death very well. Every morning, I put a smile on my face and do what I had to do for my babies. When I got home, or when the students left the room, the tears flowed...

Yesterday was MaTaya's celebration of life. It was PERFECT! Such a beautiful celebration for a beautiful little girl.

Mataya was a little firecracker. She was always smiling, running around, and helping others. She loved to cheer! She sang all the time! Daily, she made a point to tell a student how nice his/her handwriting was so she could pull her pin to super student. My favorite memory is running with her to line up after recess.

I will always miss MaTaya! I miss hearing her little voice. I miss seeing her contagious smile. I am sad that her cubby is empty. She was a such special little person... I believe that I will see her again. On that day, we will never have to say goodbye again! :)