John White, here is a school that needs your help. Don’t close it. Don’t treat it as a sinking ship whose students should just get out before it’s too late. This is a community school. Do not let it die. Do not make things worse. You are the captain of the ship. If it goes down on your watch, it’s your fault. Give these teachers support. They are trying to make a difference. Can you help them?

I am a Louisiana teacher who thanks you for your tireless advocacy of public education in general and your focus to Louisiana in particular. The past year was a difficult one for me personally and professionally. I teach students in one of the so-called “failing” schools and know first hand how hard we work and how much we are trying to educate the students we have. At my high school, we often have students who arrive in ninth grade reading below the 5th grade level. We aren’t given any solutions or ideas or help from the state department. We do our best to take them where they are and guide them where they need to be. We do this despite many who lack any parental support, some who are parents themselves, some who live in dangerous conditions, and many other challenges. Yet the message we receive from the state is that our efforts aren’t good enough.