“…A graduating class of two dozen.” That was extremely hard to believe and put into perspective. Their graduating class was smaller than the size of a typical classroom. The article, Class Notes, written by Jelani Cobb was moving and evoked a sense of sympathy for those twenty four students. My graduating class was almost a thousand and there was not a problem finding a place to hold the ceremony. The fact that those twenty four students couldn’t even gradate from their own auditorium is baffling.

It is easy to say that the problem with a school is with its students and their behavior or attitude. Not many would stop to think about those in an authority position, who might not have the best interests of the students themselves in mind. Thus, I concur with Joel Klein’s statement that the solution to the problem of underperforming schools was to create a more intimate setting. Although it partly may be due to school funding, another major factor should be the school environment.

A teacher’s job is not just to teach, but to inspire growth within the students. This reminds me of, P.S.19, a public elementary school that I volunteered at. For the short while that I was there, the interaction between the teachers, students and guidance counselor was amicable. The guidance counselor interacted with the students warmly, as if the children were all her own. The environment at Townsend Harris High School, I cannot speak for, but up at Bronx Science, the friendly interactions between the faculty body and the students were familiar. Perhaps if there existed a tighter knit community between the student body and the faculty, this tragedy could have been avoided.