Losing one of my students led me to reshape my priorities at home

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• It was an ordinary morning at the school I was teaching at, until it wasn't.
• Losing a student instantly shifted my perspective on parenting.
• Now, ordinary moments matter more, and I'm trying to pay attention to them.

It was an ordinary day. Until it wasn't. The school day hadn't even started yet.

Students were gathered in the auditorium the way they did every morning — the early arrivals waiting for the first bell. Some were half-asleep.