Today I am sad and completely in shock. Yesterday a child who attended the elementary school where I taught for several years died suddenly. He was going to be starting high school this year, which makes him the same age as my little brother. I never met Damon except maybe once in passing, but I knew his little sister well. Devin was in my classes for two years in a row.
The death of a child is always sad, but the very sudden death of an otherwise healthy, active boy is even more difficult to understand. From what I have heard so far, they believe his death was caused by a blood clot. The fact that it happened to such a wonderful family makes it just unbearable.
During the time that Devin was in my classes it left an impression on me that she almost always had such pride and respect in her voice when she talked about Damon. I was honestly surprised when I learned he was only a year older than she was, the way this 4th grader talked about her big brother made you think he was a big shot on a college campus or a military hero. I remember hoping that one day my children would have that kind of respect for their siblings.
Devin was always a special student. As teachers we try hard not to have favorites, but there are some students who just have a special connection with you and Devin was one of them for me. It was impossible not to love her, she had such joy and exuberance and truly applied every ounce of effort that she had to any task you asked her to do. I am deeply saddened that Damon’s death might rob her of those qualities.
I also have a deep respect for Devin & Damon’s parents, especially their mother because she is the person I had the most contact with as Devin’s teacher. Mrs. M is the only parent I’ve worked with over the course of my career thus far who came back to me after a confrontation to apologize. She lost her temper over something so small I don’t even remember it (this happens often when you work with parents of gifted children), but the next day she sent me a written letter of apology. I have worked with hundreds of children and parents, but she was the only one who ever did that and it meant a lot to me coming at a very stressful time for me professionally. She carries herself with strength and dignity and has a strong passion and dedication for her children. Devin and Damon (as I’ve heard from stories other teachers have told) were both such kind children from a wonderful family.
This is truly a tragedy. All I can take from it is the knowledge that each day with our children is a gift that we must make the most of. I hope the M. family can take comfort in the fact that they used their time the best that they could have which is evidenced by the way that people who knew Damon are remembering him.
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