A dreadful day! - loss of a young life

I was completely shocked when the news broken out into my ears. Stitch, a boy who I taught once, I saw every school day, I had chat with, jumped out of his window of his apartment where his mum and him lived at his 18th birthday yesterday. A suicide or an accident, it is not really sure yet, but the boy is dead. The whole school is in gray although everyone is trying to hold onto it. Several students were in tears in the toilet and others look sad and low even they try to squeeze some smiles every now and then. He is a star student awarded the only Golden medal in an International Maths competition, he had lots of admirers from different cultural group in school. He was humorous, fun loving and alway wearing smiles. He looked so positive that I would think he is the last person would end his life so soon. Then I checked online about teenage suicide rate.... in 1996 America, the suicide rate among teenager and young people were higher than the death rate of cancer, Aids, and other serious illness added up. It is shocking...and among male youngsters the suicide rate is usually higher than females.

His death reminds me a lot of my own teenage time. I couldn't believe how fragile and desperate I was. I thought about how hopeless my life is now, it would be so much trouble free for myself, my parents and others that I ended my life early. When I was young, I didn't know how to appreciate life. Luckily, I wasn't silly, desperate, or careless enough to make my tragedy happen.

He is gone, left his family and friends missing him and the myth of his death.

As a teacher, I wonder about how his death is going to impact on others' life, some of his friends were his secret admirers, some teachers such as me had had some real nice chats with him, and some of younger graders had liked his jokes. He is certainly missed but we miss him with full confusion.