August 2022
News, updates and perspectives on the
future of education from Learn4Life
Could Inflation Worsen School Absenteeism Rates? 
Inflation isn’t just changing our behavior at the gas pump and grocery store. More teens are working now than before the 2008 financial crisis. Some of them are taking advantage of all the higher-paying entry-level jobs, but others are just trying to help their families make ends meet. 
 
As the school year begins, some educators are worried more teens will opt out of school to work, adding to already high absenteeism rates. “We’re definitely seeing more of our students needing to work,” said Lindsay Reese, area superintendent. More than 80 percent of our students come from low-income households. 
Joel Found a Way to Expresses Himself…
Through Poetry  
Despite a rough childhood with bouts of homelessness, bullying, and struggles at his church and previous high schools, Joel B. found a second home at Learn4Life. “When I came to this school, everyone respected me,” he explained. “One teacher was always there for me, like a second mom. Others cared enough to find out about me, rather than assume. Another challenged me and never let me be just average.”  
 
He loves writing poetry and gets his poems on posters and in newsletters. He even won the school’s poetry award. “But I was most proud of our superintendent calling me the most eloquent student she’s ever met,” he said. “That meant a lot.” 
She Promised Her Mom She Would Graduate –
And She Did! 
Yvonne R. was proud and excited to walk across the stage to accept her high school diploma, but it was with some sadness, wishing her mother could be there with her. Yvonne lost her mom when she was just 14, and then bounced around living with various relatives while helping take care of her younger sisters. 
 
“When I first started school, I was put into bilingual classes, but I was confused between Spanish and English, so they held me back twice,” she explained. “By the time I got to 8th grade, I was 15-16 years old. After losing my mom, I fell further behind and even dropped out for a while so I could help my sisters.” She was intimidated by the size of her previous high school and didn’t get the extra attention she needed. 
 
A counselor told her about Learn4Life, and she loved the warm welcome and respect from the entire staff from day one.