What they don’t prepare you for is the ex-student who dies suddenly on a Monday afternoon after being pulled off life support. What they don’t prepare you for is hearing how your old student got into a car accident on the previous Saturday night and crashed into a tree on the way home from a party. What they don’t prepare you for is learning why he got into that car accident in the first place – no, he wasn’t drunk; he was texting and lost control of the car.

Kevin was a senior in high school. I taught him when he was just in 7th grade. I remember his goofy, ear-to-ear grin. His moodswings. His sudden fits of laughter, like the sun unexpectedly bursting through a cloud on a rainy day.

Next time you’re driving, I want you to remember Kevin before you pick up that cell phone.