Embrace open class discussion

To the Editor:

Congratulations to the Goodhue Public Schools and the community for giving students the opportunity to hear the speech by President Obama. It is easy to think the controversy was a “tempest in a teapot,” but on a deeper level it is indicative of a tendency to squelch open discussion in the classroom where students can learn to recognize propaganda techniques — which are flooding and often clouding the “news” these days — and learn vital critical thinking skills that are fundamental to all real education and to the entire democratic process.

So, hats off to Goodhue Schools and the supporting community for setting a good example.

Millie Mehrkens

Goodhue

Tags: opinion, letters, obama, mehrkens