• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

September 17, 2013 From the Front Lines

From Blemish to Beauty: Healing from Tragedy

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Daisy Filler

Mrs. Filler, or Savage Fill to her students, has been teaching high school English for a decade. In addition to the standard core English class, she has taught inclusion, honors, accelerated honors, and AP Language and Composition. Sometimes, she teaches creative writing and reading intervention. Her love of teaching comes second to her love of family.
  • Seven Reforms Needed in Education - January 10, 2017
  • Stop Censoring Our Classrooms - March 7, 2016
  • Preparing for Parent-Teacher Conferences - October 16, 2015
  • My Experience with TNCore - the Tennessee State Standards - September 15, 2015
  • Tips for Choosing a Novel to Study - June 9, 2015
  • Choosing the Right High School Reading Intervention Program - April 30, 2015
  • Four Things Teachers Should Try Before Removing a Student - April 6, 2015
  • Dear 'Bad Students': Prove Us Wrong - March 12, 2015
  • Improving Education: Response to Joel Klein - February 26, 2015
  • Writing Hacks for Grades 9-12 - February 12, 2015

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]

A few days ago, our school received the tragic news that we had lost one of our own – a young student who was well-liked and respected by students and teachers alike.

He was so liked and so respected that news of his sudden death shook up the entire school. Those of us who had him in class past or present were especially shocked and pained. Tears were shed as we sat around our tables, absorbing the painful news. As a teacher, one of the worst things you can hear is that a student won’t ever walk the graduation line because his life had been cut short.

I find myself mourning not only by his death, but also the potential that was lost when this child’s life was ended. He had come to our school looking for a fresh start, and he found it. Had I not heard snippets of his past, I would never have guessed his history. The child he was then was not the child I saw before me. Sure, he was not perfect and still had hurdles to leap, but he was making progress. And I, like so many of my fellow teachers, was proud of him. This was the kid who spoke to you respectfully and offered to help out every now and again. This was the kid we would find ourselves bragging about from time to time. Was this real? Would we never see him again?

Despite the sadness I feel, I still trust in God and His plan. I know that God would never wish this kind of pain on His children, but He will make something beautiful out of this blemish that has scarred our community. The words of my principal have also helped. She pointed out to her faculty that although one of our students would never grace our halls again, we had made his life pleasant while he was within our walls. He had come to us seeking to start over, and he was able to because we allowed him to. No one shunned him or shamed him; rather, it seemed like most welcomed him. My husband comforted me with his words, as well. Using a metaphor to describe the student’s life, he said, “You got to remember… he found himself in a race. At one point, he wasn’t running a good one. He saw that he wasn’t doing well and wanted to change that. So he did. By the time he finished, he was running a better race in life. Yeah, his run was cut too short, far before his time, but at least he was in a better place.”

There are vital lessons I take from this event, lessons that I already knew but had taken for granted. Until now. While most of the general public rates a school based on its test scores, students are going to “rate” us based on how treat them. Teachers DO make a difference, and that difference can never be measured by any battery. One kind word can open many doorways. More importantly, just as we have an impact on our students, they, too, have an impact on us. The ones who treat us with respect and kindness, as this young man did, make our days brighter and encourage us to continue fighting our good fight. The particular lesson I learned from this particular student is that we should never hold a person’s past against him or her; we must give someone a chance and get to know him or her without any prejudices before we come to conclusions about that person’s character.

Sadly, death can also bring out the worst in people. Due to the nature of his death, people find themselves speculating and making judgment calls, some of which are just simply unfair and unkind. No matter what vicious rumors may spread about this young man, I will only remember the things I witnessed for myself. While he was in my classroom, he was a good kid. That is how I choose to remember him by. And that is all that matters.

(In memory of Domonic Davis. I pray God comforts all your loved ones during their darkest hour.)[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailLooking at the 'Small' Picture The Facets of Personality and Successful Teaching The Politics and Pedagogy of Immigration Policy [Opinion] Barack Obama: A Role Model for Teachers and Students
« How to Avoid Plagiarism in the Era of Common Core
Using Booktalks to Create a Community of Readers »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • Ask The Educator's Room: I'm dating a student's dad. Should we tell the school?
  • My Union Showed Up for Me, and I'll Never Forget It
  • Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here's How to Set It Up.
  • You Don't Have to Watch the Tyre Nichols Video, But Be Ready to Talk About It

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.