In the swelter of a mid-August morning heat, a New Orleans teacher entered his high school classroom, only to observe that the door was off its hinges, the air-conditioning unit was a hunk of unusable metal, the solitary window was fused in an open position, and in place of what should have been walls, two temporary partitions stood with gaps in between them. \nThat was what the classroom looked like a week and a half before the ravages of Hurricane Katrina -- before the rest of the already dilapidated Reed High School was devoured by the flood and wind. \nBrett Warnke was that teacher. He graduated from IU in May but found himself returning to school the following semester -- this time, as a Teach For America teacher in an underprivileged high school. TFA is a nationwide nonprofit organization that selects college graduates to commit two years to teaching in urban and rural public school districts. \nWarnke was one of among 3,500 from across the country to participate in the program. He never imagined that just a handful of days after school was back in session, he would return to Bloomington displaced and out of work.\n"I chose New Orleans (TFA placement) because it has consistently been America's lowest performing school system," said Warnke, a former columnist for the Indiana Daily Student. "I knew they needed the most help." \nWhen Warnke arrived in New Orleans, the school system was already millions of dollars in debt, teachers were in danger of not being compensated for their work and many of his students were three or four years behind the national learning curve, he said. With such a weak foundation, Reed High School wasn't prepared for any more losses, particularly a natural disaster, but many New Orleans residents doubted Aug. 28 would be anything more than a windy day. \n"Strangely, the day of the hurricane was the most beautiful day of the summer," Warnke said. "A soft breeze was blowing, and I had finished a run in the park. I was stocking up on Chinese food when my roommate called frantically saying, 'Get out of New Orleans now!'"
Katrina refugees \nAgainst his own judgment, Warnke packed an overnight bag and headed for the interstate with his other TFA roommate. He remembers being more concerned about finishing his lesson plan for the following school day. \n"I still get goose bumps thinking about what would have happened if I had stayed," Warnke said. \nTrapped in gridlocked traffic, Warnke started to realize the magnitude of the situation. \n"I sat in traffic for 13 hours before making my way to western Louisiana where I hunkered down with some friends of TFA," Warnke said. "I really experienced southern charm." \nOnce roads became passable, Warnke made his way back to Indiana. For three weeks, he bided his time on his old stomping grounds.\n"I went to IU and partied with some friends, spent some time with my family," Warnke said. "It was only later that I discovered that my school was utterly destroyed by the floodwaters." \nBut TFA corps members weren't the only ones displaced. Most of Warnke's students were scattered throughout the region too. \nTFA and the Knowledge Is Power Program have partnered to educate Katrina's displaced children by creating a school in Houston called New Orleans West and providing bus transportation. \n"Having served in the New Orleans public school system for 15 years, we feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to the city of New Orleans, its children and their families," said Wendy Kopp, TFA president and founder. \nKIPP co-founder Mike Freiberg believes New Orleans West will be an adequate substitute for the students. \n"Even if they are not at home, they'll receive a top-notch education with caring and committed teachers," Freiberg said. \nKopp has an optimistic outlook on the situation. \n"We are just thrilled to have the opportunity to continue working," Kopp said. "They have excellent educational opportunities despite the tremendous losses they have suffered." \nOne of Warnke's Reed High School students, Byroneisha Lodge, is now in Houston. She wrote a letter to Warnke letting him know she was safe and in good health.\n"The bad news is my house is gone and everything in it, too," Lodge said. "If you don't come back to New Orleans, don't forget about me." \nWarnke said he could never forget Byroneisha -- the student he describes as having feathery lashes and a memorable smile -- or any of his other Reed High School students, even if he only taught them for a little more than a week.\n"What I wonder is why didn't this country care about her before the hurricane?" Warnke asked. "The levees could have been fixed, the schools could have been managed better and Byroneisha could have been given better chances."
The storm recedes\nOn Sept. 22, Warnke did return to his New Orleans apartment for a TFA reassignment in LaPlace, La.\n"My apartment was untouched by the hurricane, but my TFA buddy's apartment was completely destroyed just a couple of blocks away," Warnke said. "Lately, though, even household items have been completely ruined. My refrigerator was pimpled with maggots when I returned to the city. It was so bad we couldn't even step into the kitchen." \nNew Orleans was a ghost town, Warnke said. House after house, the yards were littered with infested refrigerators. Graffiti labeled the standing walls with threats like "Looters will be shot." \nThe whole city is still tattooed with a brown, residual stain -- the delineation of the rising waterline. Katrina turned the city inside out -- its boats unsuccessfully sailing on pavement, its cars treading in water, he said. Nothing was in its place. \nBut Warnke has found his place in East St. John High School, just like many of Katrina's student evacuees. \n"I was fortunate enough to get a teaching job at the last minute," said Warnke. "Many of the other New Orleans corps members have taken different routes." \nSome of the other corps members have traveled to Houston to work at New Orleans West, while others have volunteered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency as temporary disaster relief coordinators. Others have left the area. \n"I admire those who came back the most," said Warnke. "It would have been a lot easier to cash in their chips early and dip out when they could, but they made a commitment (to the program) and resolved to fulfill their promise."\nWarnke is one of the corps members dedicated to completing his service. \n"If I do anything in my two years in TFA besides bridging the gap between the rich and poor," Warnke said, "I want to bear witness to all of those families who were left in that sinking city"
