An Empty Chair
Yesterday, I got a call from the Dean of First-Year Students at WNEU. She told me that a student in one of my classes died in a car accident Sunday night. The student, Emily Weston, was from Hatfield and had graduated from the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts charter school in South Hadley. She was a commuter student at WNEU. When the dean mentioned the name to me, I remembered her immediately. Although we are only two weeks into classes, I had the impression that she would be a good student.
I talked to the students in my 11 o'clock class today. None of them really knew Emily, although two female students said they had talked to Emily after class on Thursday and said it didn't seem real that she was gone. I mentioned the accident to my 2 o'clock class, too, and two male students said they knew her from another class.
She has been administratively removed from my class, but I decided to keep her on my roster. She now has an asterisk next to her name.
I talked to the students in my 11 o'clock class today. None of them really knew Emily, although two female students said they had talked to Emily after class on Thursday and said it didn't seem real that she was gone. I mentioned the accident to my 2 o'clock class, too, and two male students said they knew her from another class.
She has been administratively removed from my class, but I decided to keep her on my roster. She now has an asterisk next to her name.