Students at a southern California middle school got a tragic life lesson after arriving for class to find their teacher dead. Click below to read the rest of the story.
Students and security guards at Mesa Linda Middle School in Victorville initially thought Tamara Joyce Dawe, of Adelanto, had not shown up for work when they unlocked her classroom Tuesday morning, the Victorville Daily Press reported.
As the 6th graders started filing into the classroom, one spotted Dawe lying on the floor and yelled out, “Ms. Dawe fell down,” Adelanto School District assistant superintendent Ross Swearingen told the newspaper.
The guard hurried the students out and called police.
The Victorville sheriff’s department said the 40-year-old teacher died of natural causes.
There were no signs of foul play and an autopsy was scheduled for this week.
Dawe taught language arts, advised the yearbook staff and ran a college prep progam at the school.
“She was the kind of person that just made your day better,” school secretary Khristina Root told the Daily Press.
“She loved what she did and loved her students.”
School dean Rachel Jauss said Dawe was known for putting in long hours and was particularly dedicated to the yearbook, which had won local awards.
The school district said counselors would be available to students until Thursday, the last day of school.
