Cupcakes and Erased Boards

I taught science at a private Catholic school this last school year and am currently teaching summer school. During the regular year, I showed my Biology students Craig's blog and the pictures of his X-ray and his hand. This right after lunch! All the girls were grossed out and the boys wanted to look at it more. Then we watched his videos and I talked about how Craig was an example of someone who was able to lead a normal life despite his disability.

We talked about modern technology and about how advancements in prosthetics and understanding the nervous system could someday allow Craig to have a functioning hand again, and how in modern times there was so much hope for treatment for these disabilities via modern biotechnology. All my students were very inspired by his optimistic attitude and loved watching his videos.

This week, I had to tell a few of those same students that the "boy with the hook" had died. We watched his videos again and I talked to my summer students about how I felt about his death and briefly shared my thoughts on the resurrection.

While this week has been rough teaching, I have thought about Craig and how he is the type of person I want my students to be like. I wish they could meet him, all take a field trip to EFY, watch how he acts around people and how he serves. I wish we had been better touch this last year, so I could share my love of high school students with him. Who would have thought we'd both never get over being teenagers!

The way my students have treated me as I have grieved has been beautiful. As I've talked about Craig's life this week, they have been so kind and patient. One student brought me a card, and another baked me four chocolate cupcakes. Today Mitch erased all my boards and helped me clean the lab equipment. Those are things Craig would do. I may have lost one of my best friends from high school, but I felt his spirit in the love that my new high school student-friends gave to me this week.

--Reija Matheson