Don't overlook teachable moments

I'm writing in response to Janet Lumm's letter about teachers sharing their personal lives. I'm so tired (exhausted, really) of people who look at this issue from this point of view. If this teacher was a woman who received flowers and the students asked who sent them and she said, "my husband", I'm sure no one would have thought twice about this. No one would have suggested that she was "sharing her lifestyle choices" or "trying to enlighten" the students.

Mr. Etter was answering a simple question, and then took a moment to talk about respect and tolerance, values I think even Ms. Lumm would find appropriate. She suggests that he should have said that the flowers came from someone special. Why on earth should this teacher have to hide who he is? Why shouldn't he have the same rights as every other teacher in the school (or every person in the world, for that matter)?

Teachable moments happen every day and parents are not always going to be there to be the ones to explain them to their children. People just need to accept that everyone is different and children understand this much better than we give them credit for. Spending a moment to talk about this is what can prevent future bullying and is more important than any music lesson, in my opinion.

Sharyl Robin

Buffalo Grove