Candle in the Wind
This has been the most surreal day I can remember and it isn't yet 10:00 AM. After staying up to watch UCLA dismantle LSU in the final four, I had to get some sleep because I was scheduled to serve as the test center administrator for the SAT. With the clocks moving forward an hour I was only going to get four or five hours anyway, but fearful that I would somehow oversleep it wasn't the most restful night.
I hadn't administered the SAT before so I was little nervous, but figured I could handle anything that went awry. When one of the proctors didn't show up I had to call in for back-up help. Of course she ended up coming with just a few minutes to spare. She thought she was VERY early because she forgot to set her clock ahead, even though I sent out a reminder e-mail on Friday. One of the students was supposed to get extended time, but was on the roster for the standard administration so I had to call the emergency help desk to get her approval to take the non-standard exam. When the dust settled everything went off without a hitch. And then the phone rang.
One my seniors died in a car accident last night. The administration is meeting right now to discuss how the school is going to deal with this and I feel sad, numb, and helpless. I have to continue to administer the test (which is being conducted as I write this) so I can't be in on this meeting. But that's not really important. This young woman's life ended so tragically early.
This girl was not our best student. She wasn't the smartest, the prettiest, the most outgoing, most popular, best dressed, or any other superlative. She was just a really good kid, full of untapped potential and heading in the right direction. She was Israeli and lived in the city, different from the bulk of our crowd -- gritty. She wasn't going to Harvard, Brown, Maryland, Miami or any of the other "in" schools. She probably would have gone to a CUNY school or perhaps even community college. She wanted to be a cosmetologist. With her personality she would have been great.
"They" say everything happens for a reason. I'm not sure I ever believed that. I certainly trust that line even less now.
I already miss Lital. Her flame blew out too soon.
I hadn't administered the SAT before so I was little nervous, but figured I could handle anything that went awry. When one of the proctors didn't show up I had to call in for back-up help. Of course she ended up coming with just a few minutes to spare. She thought she was VERY early because she forgot to set her clock ahead, even though I sent out a reminder e-mail on Friday. One of the students was supposed to get extended time, but was on the roster for the standard administration so I had to call the emergency help desk to get her approval to take the non-standard exam. When the dust settled everything went off without a hitch. And then the phone rang.
One my seniors died in a car accident last night. The administration is meeting right now to discuss how the school is going to deal with this and I feel sad, numb, and helpless. I have to continue to administer the test (which is being conducted as I write this) so I can't be in on this meeting. But that's not really important. This young woman's life ended so tragically early.
This girl was not our best student. She wasn't the smartest, the prettiest, the most outgoing, most popular, best dressed, or any other superlative. She was just a really good kid, full of untapped potential and heading in the right direction. She was Israeli and lived in the city, different from the bulk of our crowd -- gritty. She wasn't going to Harvard, Brown, Maryland, Miami or any of the other "in" schools. She probably would have gone to a CUNY school or perhaps even community college. She wanted to be a cosmetologist. With her personality she would have been great.
"They" say everything happens for a reason. I'm not sure I ever believed that. I certainly trust that line even less now.
I already miss Lital. Her flame blew out too soon.
posted by gwheathie | 9:45 AM
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