Rex Nelson's April 26 column suggested that southeast Arkansas communities like mine derive no benefit from the Education Freedom Account (EFA) program created by the LEARNS Act. I beg to differ.

I moved from South Africa to southeast Arkansas with my family in middle school. I built a career here that I loved: 19 years as a public school teacher. No job is perfect, but I can't imagine anything better than being in the classroom.

But I also became a mother of two very different boys. While one was adaptable and could learn anywhere, the other needed a small environment with few distractions. We found it at the closest private school, an hour away. Tuition was a financial strain, made even harder when both boys attended the next year. I was impressed by the curriculum, focus on Jesus, and higher behavioral expectations.

The following year, we became eligible to apply for the EFA scholarship. What a relief! We weren't suddenly flush, but we were able to eat out occasionally and go to the movies again.

But, still a public school teacher and loving it, I didn't like my boys spending two hours a day on a van, nor the long drive to every school event or parent meeting. I prayed for a solution. That spring I discovered microschools,........

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