The scene you're  asking about takes places in the last chapter on Jesse's first day back to school after the terrible tragedy. After Mrs. Meyers leads the class in the pledge and gets them settled down, she asks Jesse to join her in the hallway. He thinks he's in trouble again because Mrs. Meyers is very strict and not very popular. To his surprise, she has tears in her eyes and offers him her sympathy. She tells him:

"When my husband died" - Jess could hardly imagine Mrs. Myers ever having had a husband -"people kept telling me not to cry, kept trying to make me forget." Mrs. Myers loving, mourning. How could you picture it? "But I didn't want to forget." She took her handkerchief from her sleeve and blew her nose. "Excuse me," she said. "This morning when I came in, someone had already taken out her desk." She stopped and blew her nose again. "It-it-we-I never had such a student. In all my years of teaching. I shall always be grateful -"

They agree to help each other through their grief.