What Daniel Left Behind: Lessons From a Deceased Former Neo-Nazi Skinhead To His Jewish Teacher
My wife and I once discussed adopting him, but six years after his death by shooting his words, and his pain, still resonate.
Introduction
Perhaps the most difficult part of writing a follow-up to one of my most popular Medium pieces of the past half-dozen years is to avoid mythologizing the subject.
To be clear, Daniel was no hero. When I met him he was misogynistic, arrogant and manipulative, not to mention attention-seeking and racially provocative. He was the lone Caucasian student in my primarily Black and Hispanic special education classroom, and he had a swastika carved into his arm.
He was also 16-years-old and a meth addict.
I was his Jewish teacher.
Several years later, amidst one of life’s great twists, Daniel, having long since sobered up and renounced his racism, veritably adopted me as his father.
And my late wife and I, who had no children together or separately, considered legally adopting him as our son.
