This story really inspired me because it’s about how my young student looked at death. She said to me during the lesson that her chicken passed away under the tree in front of her house but at night it comes to visit her regularly and is all white like an angel. I never would think of an angel chicken, would you? She then described to me that after visiting she can see the angel chick fly to the stars. “Where in the stars,” I asked. “The star next to my window where the moon is and she goes to sleep in a house with a pink couch and a wooden door.”
Silence remained for a few seconds afterwards. I was speechless from her reaction. I really thought she was making this up, however, I believed that she really did see this and was a real experience for her. In my opinion, children are naturally connected on a deeper level of spirituality than the general population of adults. If I didn’t do mediation or some type of inner work with myself, I would have classified this student as crazy but the more I asked, the more she was sharing about it in detail and I really felt that something powerful changed inside her from this chick dying under the tree. It was definitely one of my deepest experiences with death of how a young student can really open up about this and want to share it with me. I’m really grateful for her sharing this.
I thought that I had to be old to understand death on a deeper level but children see things about death that as adults can’t and also explain it in a way that is beyond my comprehension as an English teacher.
Where do we lose this connection about death?
What does this story mean to you?
Have you ever heard a child tell you about death or ask you questions about it?
I’m looking forward to your comments.
Thank you,
Jared
