4/1/06

Hi Mrs. Goodes,

I wanted to send you a note to thank you for the assignment you gave our son Travis Robbins when he was in your 12th grade Work Experience class in 2004.  He passed away on March 18th, at the age of 19.  We are grieving so much, but the paper he wrote in your class, along with a paper the he wrote his 8th grade year in Ms. Clemens' class at Marsh were a great comfort to us, and helped us know how much he loved us. 

As far as we can tell, he was in the early stages of Schizophrenia, and his thinking had not been clear, nor his personality the same since early summer of 2005, so having a detailed summary of how much he loved his life from the 12th grade viewpoint, as well as the 8th grade viewpoint has been a great gift.  I am attaching a copy the paper he wrote in your class - in case you might remember him - we are putting a website together in his memory that is not very complete yet - the website is www.TravisRobbins.com

I would encourage you to keep assigning this type of work to your current students, because children this age (boys especially) don't take the time to write about themselves, nor do they really want to, but as you can see, it is a great reflection, when that person starts to fade, or is no longer here as it is in his case.

Sincerely Grateful,

Claudia Robbins (and my husband and our other two sons as well)

4/4/06

Hello Mrs. Robbins

My husband and I were so sorry to learn about your loss.  We both had Travis in class and thought he was such a nice, polite young man.  From the conversations I had with Travis, he loved his family very much; and it appeared to me that you all were very close.

I still use Travis' paper when I assign the autobiography to my students.  I remember complimenting him on his excellent writing skills; he had a way with words.  His is one of the most positive papers I have ever received; and what I liked about it most, was how comfortable he was to write about his feelings toward his family.  You and your husband raised three wonderful young men.  I know you all have many wonderful memories to reflect upon.  Keep them and Travis close to your heart.

Sincerely,

Jan and John Goodes