Making Moments Matter: Weisler Alumni (Pt. V)-- Growing Up Through Grief, Friendship, and Parkland
About this episode
Dr. Joey Weisler reconnects with former student Haylie to discuss growing up through grief and the impact of compassionate educators after the MSD tragedy.
📝 Episodic Synopsis In this special “Weisler Alumni” segment of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education , Dr. Joey Weisler reconnects with Haylie — a former Parkland-area student now studying sociology and higher education at Georgia Southern University. Together, they reflect on growing up in the aftermath of the MSD tragedy, navigating grief during adolescence, and the educators who helped make school feel safe, human, and healing. Haylie opens up about losing her father to glioblastoma during middle school, the friendships that carried her through, and the classroom environments that helped her breathe during difficult seasons of life. From calming writing exercises and stream-of-consciousness journals to the impact of compassionate teachers, this conversation explores what students remember long after the lesson plans are gone. At its heart, this episode is a reminder that sometimes the smallest moments in education — feeling heard, welcomed, and emotionally safe — become the moments students carry forever.
More episodes of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education
- Listening Beyond the Answer: Narrative Medicine, Grief, and the Courage to Witness with Dr. Rondalyn Whitney
- Teaching with HEART and SOUL: The HABITS That Evolved Community Beyond Compliance
- The Power of Love in Caregiving: Winston Meikle on Connecting With Care Instead of Fear
- Teaching with HEART and SOUL: "The Look" That Taught Me to Care, Not Carry
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