#30: Even In the Little Things

Monday marked a dramatic change in my school. A grade twelve student committed suicide, and not a student, staff member, or support staff member was left untouched. In fact, I'd venture to guess that very few people within the community of Rocky Mountain House have remained untouched by the tragic death of this young man. There is little I can say or do to help my students understand why this tragedy happened, or even to help them overcome grief and anger. 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose [Romans 8:28].

Immediately following the first announcement of this tragedy to our school staff, I requested permission, and extended an invitation for an open prayer meeting in my classroom. I had six staff members attend, only one of whom I knew "for sure" to be a follower of Christ. The intent of a school staff team is to work together for the good of the students and their education. Monday afternoon was a unique opportunity to join forces in the most powerful way possible with staff members on behalf of the students, recognizing the power that God has to work in each and every life in this time of grief. The bond of these six staff members seems all the stronger since that meeting.

It is difficult to say how the temperature of the school will change over the next several months, but a few things have already become evident. The students, staff, and community are banding together with a purpose driven by solidarity: we will soldier on. 

• 700+ students and community members attended the Sr. Boys basketball game against Wetaskawin last night (the young man was a starter for the team) where an audience of 50-75 is the norm.
• Affection, care and encouragement are heard in words and seen in gestures in the hallways. Swearing has decreased significantly. Alternately, spontaneous fights fueled by mis-directed emotions have also increased.
• One of my non-academic grade 10 students spent all of a class period sitting at a round table with me, writing poetry. We have just recently completed our poetry unit, and the tools, tricks, and words we have learned to use suddenly had purpose for him. Poetry became cathartic, real, and most importantly, a way for him to express himself when being the "cool kid" so limits his natural expressive options. I wonder if poetry might become a tool he uses again in the future...
• Tuesday and Wednesday were both "snow days" due to temperatures in the low -30 C range. The school was basically empty, but for those students closest to the young man, and a few stragglers whose parents forced attendance. Many students had the support of one-on-one counselling with the crisis intervention team. I had the opportunity to work one-on-three with some students, and brought the average of one particular student up from 25% to 51% in an afternoon (he handed in 9 missing assignments!). This student walked out of the classroom with his head high, instead of skulking to his next class. That was a true transformation.

Time will produce more stories, but those that have surfaced within the first 48 hours (isn't there a pop culture TV show about solving crimes in the first 48 hours?) are by far the most evident and the most real.

I am blessed to know that God is at work in my school. Even in the little things.