Dr. James Person

Re the article on Dr. James Person, “ ‘He Respects Us, and We Respect Him,’ ” March 9: I’ve always been a firm believer in school choice as the best medicine for transforming our ailing urban schools. All we need to do is “choose” to commit ourselves to recruiting and filling our urban schools with teachers, counselors and principals like Person at Hollenbeck Middle School. And once we have done this, we would then “choose” to support, embrace, and generously reward these educators in the same way as Person supports and loves his students.

There are many others like Person, or at least those who began their careers like him; finding out why so many of our urban educators are not like him (or no longer like him), at this moment, should be of the highest national priority. But I guarantee you that we will “choose” to do otherwise, perhaps making a Hollywood movie to showcase and celebrate another charismatic character--for profit of course.

RICARDO D. STANTON-SALAZAR

Los Angeles