Two Indiana Teachers Prove Caring for Students Goes Beyond the Classroom Following Mother’s Death
It takes an extraordinarily special person to be a teacher. While on the surface it appears they only work from 8:00 AM until 3:00 PM each weekday for nine months out of the year, there's much more to it than that. There are papers to grade and lesson plans to make, both of which usually happen after the regular school day is over, and sometimes into the late evening hours at home. I've had a front-row seat to all of it as my wife has been a teacher for over 20 years. But, there's so much more to the job that has nothing to do with learning.
Great teachers truly care about each and every one of their students as if they were their own kids. And like their own kids, their students are not immune to the curveballs life can sometimes throw. Issues outside the school walls can often have a negative impact on how the kids behave and perform inside them, and sometimes it's up to their teacher to help them deal with the emotions.
I was recently contacted by Kara Watson, who knew first-hand how important a caring teacher can be for students who are dealing with tragedy. Back in February of this year (2023), her daughter, Jordan Wood, died unexpectedly of a bilateral pulmonary embolism, "a blood clot that blocks and stops blood flow to an artery in the lung," according to the Mayo Clinic. Jordan left behind a husband and two children, a 4th grader, and a 1st grader, who attend John H. Castle Elementary in Newburgh.
According to Kara, her grandchildren's teachers, Natosha Bruner, and Spenser Negley, both stepped up to offer comfort to her them in the wake of their mother's passing. Both stopped by the kids' house to deliver Valentine's gifts to the kids, and they both attended Jordan's funeral service and offered to stay as long as the kids wanted them to.
Kara was, and continues to be, beyond grateful for what Natosha and Spenser have done for her grandchildren, and reached out to see if there was anything we could do to recognize and thank them for what they've meant to the family. Fortunately, we could.
With help from Zeidler's and the Copper House Restaurant on Franklin Street, Travis and I drove out to the school and personally delivered each of them a beautiful bouquet of pink carnations and gift cards to the Copper House.
Thank you once again to Natosha and Spenser, not only for what they've done for Kara and her family, but for what they do each and every day for all their students.
[Source: Mayo Clinic]
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