Washington Jesuit Academy

In a letter to the editor, WJA 8th grader, Isaiah Coffer, responds to the recent article about a DC youth not being prepared for life at Georgetown University...

 

Dear Washington Post Editor,

I read the article “I went to some of D.C.’s better schools. I was still unprepared for college” and as a middle school student getting ready for high school next year, I want to respond.

I appreciate what Mr. Robinson has gone through and I can only hope that I won’t be in that situation when I get to college.  His article has helped me understand what some of the challenges are so now I can better prepare myself. 

Reading this article also made me more grateful for the opportunity I have to attend the Washington Jesuit Academy.  I think learning at a deeper level has to start earlier than high school and definitely earlier than college. At WJA I’ve learned how to think critically and dissect every possible aspect of a situation, both in the classroom and in life.  It’s important to break things down to the simplest form and figure out what they truly mean. 

I think I am prepared for what I will face in high school because WJA has given me a taste of some of the issues that would happen in high school, and they’ve shown me how to deal with them properly.  They’ve helped me become an independent young man and to make decisions for myself.  I don’t know everything that will happen over the next four years.  In high school I am not expecting the same support that I have here at WJA, but I’m ready for that.  And now after reading Mr. Robinson’s article, I know that I have to do some of the work on my own to make sure that I am ready for the challenges that college will bring.

Thank you for publishing Mr. Robinson’s article and informing young people like me.

Sincerely,

Isaiah Coffer
8th grade student at the Washington Jesuit Academy