Teaching Is Harder Some Days Than Others

In my social studies classes I like to do my opening with a brief current events section. Usually it is just a “what have you heard on the news” section. My ninth graders are getting better at it. From virtually noone having any idea what was going on in the news at the start of the semester, probably half of them have at least some passing knowledge of the news. (Although over 60% of them told me John Kerry was the Republican candidate for president on the last exam, but at least they know the name right?) That brings me to today.

Today we were doing our current events section when one of my students quietly said, “My brother was in the news, they say he murdered his girlfriend.”

Then she said, “He didn’t do it.”

The best answer I could come up with was, “I’m sorry, that must be very hard.”

“I’m sorry [you’re in this situation], it must be very hard [on everyone around you]”. You had no other responsibility but to make a simple comment, and it sounds like you made the right one.

I had to deal with this kind of stuff almost every day teaching at a juvenille placement facility. The kids could get very distracted. Most had special education elligibility status.
IMHO, your student needs to see the school councelor.