In brief
Teacher Angela Hall gathers her preschool class in Shreveport for circle time, but the absence of five-year-old Braylon Snow, tragically killed in a shooting, casts a pall over the classroom. Hall, who is also preparing her students for graduation, expresses her heartbreak and reliance on faith during this devastating time for the community.
Teacher Angela Hall always starts the day gathering her preschool students in a circle in their Shreveport, Louisiana, classroom. The kids giggle, share, and look for who’s missing.
“Braylon, he’s not here,” one of her students said after noticing Braylon Snow's absence. Braylon, who just turned 5, was tragically one of seven siblings fatally shot by their father in an attack that also claimed their cousin's life. The shooting sent shockwaves through Shreveport's classrooms, as educators like Hall confronted distraught parents and a chaotic mix of emotions.
At Johnnie L. Cochran Head Start, Hall typically prompts her students to identify friends who are absent, fostering a sense of community. But this time, she wasn't prepared to share that the boy she affectionately referred to as a “cool little dude” wouldn't return.
Numb and heartbroken, she managed to keep the circle-time moving until noon before going home, feeling unfit to teach under the weight of loss. “I just feel like I need to be in a moment of silence and just pray,” she expressed.
Preschool Comes to an End
Preparations for the upcoming graduation ceremony at Head Start had been in full swing, with Hall even composing a song for the occasion. Students, donning caps and gowns, learned the words eagerly as they looked forward to transitioning to kindergarten in the fall. Just last Thursday, she had told Braylon’s mother about his progress in writing his name and his newfound independence at mealtime.
Braylon greeted Hall every day with a small wave and, despite being a typically quiet child, brought joy to the classroom with his laughter and play on the playground.
News of the Shooting Emerges
Then tragedy struck. After attending church on Sunday, Hall learned about the shooting while at her mother’s house. The staggering number of victims was overwhelming, and upon discovering Braylon was among them, she broke down in tears. The heartbreak intensified the following morning at drop-off, where parents shared a silent understanding of grief as they locked eyes, both unable to articulate the magnitude of their sorrow.
In this time of mourning, Hall relies on her faith, praying for the lost, their families, and the educators connected to the children. “They become my babies,” she reflected. “I’m just praying that we all have the strength to get through this together.”
