Joel was sweet, honest, and kind. He was a hard worker and really wanted to learn to read. He loved math and playing with his friends. His favorite activities in kindergarten were drawing and playing with the blocks and legos.

I will remember is how sweet he was as a person. He was the first to say hello when he entered and never forgot to thank me as he left class and tell me to have a nice day or weekend.

I wanted to share a story from a few weeks ago. Students were allowed to pick new seats, but one student got left at a desk alone and when I asked for someone to join him, Joel immediately jumped up and moved his seat without hesitation. He immediately introduced himself and asked the other student what his name was, what sports he plays and what else he was interested in. It was just who he was, a kind sweet, goofy compassionate kid. He’s left an impression on me that will never go away.