Life & Mortality: A Teacher's Awakening

This paper is a collection of pieces that contemplate life and mortality in the realm of education. A terminally ill, eight-year-old boy named Kole and his struggle within the confines of formal schooling inspires it. This piece of poetic inquiry gives voice to questions that need to be addressed in schools today, such as: In the face of mortality, what matters each day in classrooms? Why do terminally ill children need to come to school to prepare for the future? What does it mean to live well with children each day? This writing is a story that attempts to illuminate within each of us the recognition that mortality is nearer than one thinks, even for those of us without a terminal condition.