For the past couple of days, I have wanted to write about the horrific events that happened in my hometown this week. A 14 year old student allegedly killed a 24 year old teacher. While the passion and the fire have been there to write, I have not known how to approach the topic. Even sitting here now with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart, I’m not quite sure where this will go.
Everyone knows the details by now- the young teacher had asked the student to stay after class, and sometime between then and the next morning when the boy was found, Colleen Ritzer had lost her life at his hands. Motive is still unknown, or not being released. I’m not sure which one it is.
I am not a parent. I cannot even comprehend what it must be like to have a child who has to walk into a school where a teacher was murdered. I can’t imagine how scared the parents must feel or how sad. My mother shared with me that on the day of 9/11, when I was a senior in high school and my sister was in middle school, she drove to the school and just sat out front, making sure that nothing happened at the school while she cried. My mother has a very protective and sensitive soul, and I know that there must have been parents that did similarly today.
I am not a student. I have no idea what it will be like to walk into that school and know that my peer murdered a teacher of mine. I can’t fathom how it must feel to walk by that second floor bathroom and know that it’s a crime scene forever. To have to walk into that teacher’s classroom and know that she will never return must be utterly scarring. To be a student at Danvers High School right now must be a nightmare.
I am not a teacher at Danvers High School. I do not know what it is like to walk into school knowing that my students that I have only had for 2 months are struggling with grief. I do not know what it is like to walk the halls not knowing whether or not it will be safe. As a teacher, to be dealing with students that may lash out, or even fellow teachers that may not know how to handle it, must be a terrible feeling.
What I am is a dance teacher that has students whom I care about deeply who are going through a really rough time. I am an alumni of Danvers High School who knows what it is like to walk those hallways, and knows what it means to be a Falcon. I am a sensitive person who knows that my family, and my friends’ families, and my sister’s friends’ families all live within a mile of the high school where this tragic event happened. My heart is breaking knowing how many lives have been changed forever.
In a different light, I am a dance teacher who is here for her students. While, I can’t do much more than provide an ear to open up to, or offer two arms to give a hug, I am here as an adult to help where I can. I am an alumni of Danvers High School who knows that being a Falcon means community. I have so much faith in my community that they will rise above this and become a beacon for pulling through and coming together in terrible times. I am a sensitive person who will cry from time to time knowing the impact of this situation, but will offer support and love to the universe. I am a Danvers girl, and I am strong.
When the Boston Marathon bombings occurred, I wrote a blog urging people to go out and do good in the world. Today, I write in Colleen Ritzer’s memory to do the same. There needs to be a call to arms- we must be ready and loaded to send love out into the universe. Generally, there is good in the world, and that good can overpower the destruction that bad can do. Our children, more than ever, need to be taught how to be kind, how to love, and how to create happiness. When awful things happen, we need to be the pillars of support, and the teachers of all things good. We need to lead by example to help those who are hurting, let them grieve, and be there for them when they need help. As a whole, the adults of today need to be reminded that even though we see these bad things, there is still good out there, so that we may point it out to the youth of today. Look at the pictures of the students, and the memorial, and even Ms. Ritzer’s twitter. There is goodness in the world.
“No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.” -Colleen Ritzer
Well said, and RIP Ms. Ritzer.
