QUESTION:
Hi Jonathan,
I feel guilty about a mistake I feel that I made. I will never forget, and the consequences were catastrophic.
I had one of those troubled kids who gave me nothing but problems. Every time I turned around I was dealing with this kid. He had a lot of issues and came from a broken home. It seemed that every time I talked with this kid, he would get mad and run away. Literally, I would have to go chasing after him every time. One night I found him walking down the center median of the highway.
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ANSWER:
J.J,
I'm sorry to hear about the loss you and this boy's family suffered. A death of a child is always tragic. It's normal to feel pain in your heart with the loss of any student.
It's also natural to ask yourself if you did enough when something like this happens. But let me assure you, you had nothing to do with this boy's death. Don't feel guilty. Allow yourself to mourn his situation and the loss of his life, but don't place guilt where it doesn't belong.
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