At the parent-teacher conferences this Thursday, I met a parent of  a student who is currently in jail. (It was good to find out why he has been missing from school for about a month.)  The parent claims that the student did not commit any crimes and asked me to write a letter on the student’s behalf. This student was a positive force in my class, and I have missed having him there. He was making good progress in mathematics. His close circle of friends seem to be harder to control in class without him there–he was a good influence on his friends as he would often be on task and they would emulate him (after making fun of him to his face).

I made sure to to write “Ph.D.” after my name in the letter. I hope this letter will help; my student’s future is at stake.