I've always admired that you keep on keeping' on when things get tough, Sundae. Hang in there and good luck to you!

Sundae you seriously deserve to catch a break.

You've had more than your fair share of the shit stick. Just remember

I'm sorry, Dana - somehow I missed your post - so sorry for your loss. It's hard to lose family even when they haven't been the closest to us; they've still been part of the social structure we've always known. And as our parents' generation passes, it does become scary. Sending hugs.

SonofV called me this morning from school, in tears. What?!?! He'd just learned that his favorite teacher of the last two years, the teacher in charge of his IEPs, in charge of the special education department at his school died yesterday of pneumonia. He was in school last week teaching classes.

I feel terrible.

I liked Mr N too. It's a serious blow to a young person, the sudden death of someone close.

My friend told me he thought that he called me first is a great sign... looking to me for clues on how to handle grief. Great... :( He told me that his cousin E was also taking care of him and that he was skipping the next period, but he'd go to his class downtown as scheduled. Good man.

I'm going to prepare for a teachable moment about maturity... be ready for him--for an opportunity for some deep conversations about the meaning of life, and death. He's very sad and so am I.

V, usually schools have access to grief counselors when a staff member passes away. May be worth looking in to if SonOfV has a hard time coping.

Thank you Chocolatl. I'm sure they will have that for all the people in the school. I spoke to his cousin and he said the teachers were all given a letter by the administration to tell everyone what happened, but that the teacher in his class couldn't even get through the letter. Mr N was a big deal at the school, for the kids and the teachers.

I got to spend a part of SonofV's lunch with with him downtown and he's down, but still moving. I take that as a good sign that he's not immobilized with grief. I'll be checking in with him, and my nephew closely over the next few days.

Thanks.

I'm sorry to hear that - what a shock for SonofV and the whole school community. I imagine the grief counselors will be helpful, but your counseling will be the most important. So glad you're there for him. Not all dads are.

Thanks.

Recently I said elsewhere I are srs cat. Actually, I are srs Dad. Pete Zicato (nee dar512) crystallized it for me a long time ago: Parenthood, the hardest work you'll ever love.

Bummer V.

That is horrible. How do you go from teaching to dead from pneumonia in a week? IS this not the 21st century?

The 21st century: a dawning era of superbugs and antibiotic resistance. :(

I could see it happening. My classroom is a freaking petri dish. I have kids from across the county, a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, some over-medicated, some under medicated, some first-time out of house, some in multiple programs, some with older siblings in other schools, one with 15 half-siblings on his Dad's side, thumb suckers, mouthers, diaper wearers, and 2 finger chewers, all brought together in one place. I'd like to give a shout out to the Clorox Bleach people and my TA for her constant scrubbing. We are headed for serious trouble with anti-biotic resistance and schools are part of the puzzle.

So, these two bacteria walk into Griff's school...

I suspect "antibacterial soap" Hand Sanitizers are giving bacteria a leg-up. And Global warming. And Wall Street Bankers.

Kitty Cat aka "Kung Pao Kitty" is sick she is lethargic and breathing hard. I'm going to take her to the Vet at 5:30. Prayers or good thoughts will be appreciated.

Good luck to you and the kitty!