I, for one, regret to see Susan Shotthafer leaving the school board.
I felt she was a healthy shot of adrenaline in our body politic (“Port Angeles School Board member quits, blasts system,” PDN, Dec. 15).
She was not afraid to raise questions and touch issues that challenge our cultural drift and bureaucratic-induced mindset.
I remember one school board meeting in particular when a gifted instructor presented her fascinating curriculum that included — among other things — teaching students how to determine the sex of dead people using advanced DNA techniques.
The school board rightly applauded her good work and some expressed interest in taking her course themselves.
Actually, this might be a good idea since the school board — being under the spell of bureaucratic group-think — is still not able to determine the sex of our living students.
My hope is that some clear-minded person will be chosen to complete Mrs. Shotthafer’s term.
We need someone who will not be afraid to step out in new directions that are intellectually honest, relevant and healthy.
As a student, I always benefitted most by the teachers that challenged me.
Jon Didrickson,
Port Angeles