First off, I would like to say thank you to Aaron Farris for finally telling the truth that so many of us at the high school know all too well. In Aaron’s column about indoctrination at the high school, he tells of some of his own experiences with indoctrination within the high school. I too, have been name-called by teachers at the high school (not as bad as Aaron has, but still pretty bad). I think anyone would agree this is absolutely, outrageously ridiculous, because I, unlike Aaron, am not even active in politics. When we were discussing international trade one day in class, I expressed a pro-Trump opinion while the conversation of what the president is doing with trade are good policies or not. I was then told by the teacher of that class that I should be a standup comedian. Teachers at the high school are entitled to their opinion, but sharing them and enforcing them in the classroom are where the problems start. I have had multiple encounters with teachers at the high school telling us how we are allowed to think and the only thing I can think of to justify this is that they don’t know how to defend their own opinions, so they attack us and defend themselves by calling us names or humiliating us in front of our peers. The classroom should be a safe learning environment and a safe place to share our political and religious views. Simply, it should be a safe place to share our views without being discriminated against or essentially bullied by teachers.

Alexander Baerman

Albert Lea