A great teacher. A great friend. An angel sent from Heaven above...

I was having some tough times and somehow God introduced me to Gina Coleman. I started writing her some emails and we kept corresponding back and forth. I realized, she wasn't like many teachers I've experienced, who didn't have open ears and hearts for their students, those who told them they could not go to the bathroom or couldn't be yourself.

Instead, she inspired students to reach their full potential, "You have to believe in yourself," she told me one time, when I was about to cry and when I was made fun of for having differences. She too had differences, but in her terms, she was proud of whom she was and she didn't let anyone bring her down. Among other things, she was Deaf, inspiring, and a great leader. A great teacher. A great listener. A great friend. To me she was an angel from Heaven.

At Franklin Community High School, many knew her as the teacher for ASL (American Sign Language).

On one of my first days of class, a young teenager tried to test her and turned up the player for his headphones in his backpack while she was sitting at her desk. All the other students looked toward him. A few students wrote notes and gave them to Gina. She walked near him, knowing his name, pointing to his backpack. He froze and his face turned flush red. She immediately knew he was being disrespectful and went to her desk, wrote a detention slip and put it on his desk, right in front of all of the other students. Embarrassment hit his face immediately for his misbehavor. She went to the chalkboard, wrote on the board, "Detention, 3:00 p.m. afterschool, cleaning my room." She looked back at him and wrote again, "If you do not come, it will be considered a 0 for not showing up and it will go toward your class grade."

Time went on and I told her I wasn't able to take day classes anymore, as I would be homeschooled and was not able to attend during the daytime. She told me I could have received credits if I could schedule a day time class and she asked if I could schedule a later time. I told her, "Its not about the credits, but learning the language itself." She looked at me and smiled.

Not too long after that, she had a Thursday night class (and I still remember it today) and many other individuals would attend. I would help assist with the children/teens and slower students, while she enjoyed herself helping faster paced students. She loved helping both faster and slower paced students, it was an honor that she let me assist though.

Not only did she host night classes, in her busy life, she had a family of her own, a husband, whom she loved to spend time with. She admired motorcycling and always talked about going for a ride with him or friends. She also enjoyed scuba diving and when she told me about this, I looked at her a little funny and signed to her, "You're brave!"

She was indeed brave. She loved many things indeed and nothing scared her.

Everyone loved her. She was just.... great. She made everyone smile and laugh. She had a great sense of humor.

I was always told her she was an angel, sent from Heaven and that she was called here to help everyone in need. She just smiled and laughed at what I told her. I repeated myself, "No, you're an angel. You are." And she would smile once more as I would say goodbye and see her the next week at the night class.

Our lives went on and she transferred to teach at Carmel High School and I'm positive she inspired many other students at that high school, as well.

She also welcomed me to her hometown church (at the time), that now is my hometown church, Creekside Ministries. It was a Halloween when I went, I was 17 and still a minor, and figured, "Why not?" So I went and the pastor and everyone were very welcoming. Although, what many of you may not know, our church wasn't just an ordinary church. The church has been very devoted to people in general. The pastor's wife interprets sign language for the Deaf and also voice interprets it for the hearing individuals.

Recently, I have thought about moving near Fishers, Indiana and attend my church again. I was so excited to find some apartments to get on a waiting list for and was excited anticipating that I would also get to see Gina again.

Unfortunately, sad news has hit the community and Gina Coleman was motorcycling on a beautiful day near the wooded area of Brown County in Indiana and was involved in an accident from an SUV moving slowing to avoid hitting a dog. She was wearing a helmet, but she broke her neck instantly. Angels carried her home to heaven.

R.I.P ~ Gina Coleman... We will miss you!!! All of us!

Who loves Gina Coleman? ~ ALOT of people! Staff at the schools she has taught at. Family. Friends. Church friends. People out of country. People out of state. Everyone who knew Gina loved her and knew she had a heart full of gold.

Rest in Peace...

See ya later in Heaven. You're an angel and always will be!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24012260/from/ET/