More on Kobe Bryant

As a high school English and journalism teacher, I have posted clippings of major stories from The Times around my classroom as both inspiration and decoration (“Kobe’s Second Act,” by Elizabeth Kaye, Oct. 31). As a Laker fan, I had a corner reserved for Kobe Bryant, one that became the favorite of many kids. Stapled up next to student essays and projects were pictures of Kobe soaring and shooting.

The clippings are gone now, taken down a couple of months after his admission of an adulterous affair and allegations of worse. My favorite headline read, “Kid You Not: Bryant, 19, an All-Star.” It was also the clipping that saddened me the most to take down. It exemplified all that had made Kobe a fan favorite: He was young, talented, worked hard and proved that one did not need to live the “Thug Life” to find success.

Eric Burgess

Rosemead High School

Rosemead