Part 2: Life without a father

Galbraith, who came to Grover Washington from a teaching job in Vermont, continues to be amazed at how different his own life has been from that of his students.

"The only experience we share is these four walls," says Galbraith. "After six years, I understand little."

Hanging over his classroom desk are his family pictures: Galbraith standing on a sunny beach with his oldest daughter on his shoulders; Galbraith and his wife in a pile of autumn leaves holding that daughter. There's also a card with "I Love Daddy" scrawled in red crayon.

Jelissa Jones, 13, steps up.

"Growing up without a father, it was hard. I remember when I was at least 5 years old, looking at my mom's picture albums, seeing pictures with my mom and this guy that's supposed to be called my father."

Her father had gone to jail for beating her mother when Jelissa was a toddler. She's seen photos of the bruises.

"I remember when I was seven, he wanted to be in my life, but that didn't last for long. The next day it was my birthday. He was supposed to take me shopping, but he only bought me one thing. After that, he didn't call to check if I was OK. He didn't even call the week after or the next month, but he calls five years later, saying that he has his mind right."

Galbraith looks at Jelissa and decides she is strong enough to handle a few questions.

"How do you treat this guy who has treated you poorly?"

"I treat him like he was one of my mom's male friends."

"Do you ever hope he rejoins the family?" Galbraith asks.

The girl shakes her head, no.

"That's probably a safe place to be," Galbraith says.

Jelissa later spoke of the relief she felt sharing her piece. "I'm not holding it back no more. I'm letting my feelings out."

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Writing about a traumatic event, illness or other troubling issue is a form of therapy called journaling. Dozens of studies have shown that writing has helped patients with a variety of ailments.

"Writing helps you to put something in perspective, move past it," says James W. Pennebaker, chairman of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.

Less well understood, says Denise Sloan, who directs the psychopathology and emotion laboratory at Temple University, is the effect of reading diaries aloud to classmates, though she believes it has a lot of promise.

"One of the real advantages is the kids get a sense they're not alone in this. The social support network that can come out of this, that's a good thing."

Inviting deep feelings to bubble up can be a tricky undertaking. Erin Gruwell, the California teacher who pioneered the diary project in the 1990s, would sometimes refer students to counselors - something Galbraith also does.