Kudos to the students and adults who strongly advocated for gun safety action recently at the Colorado Capital. This is one major takeaway I have from witnessing their resolve.
Our public schools are teaching responsible citizenship, fostering strong values and principles, shaping moral lives and building quality characters. We should all be proud of the teachers, students and parents of Denver East Highschool, as well as the many other high schools, middle schools and grade schools in Denver who faced off with legislators.
As an educator for many years in the public sector, their activism reinforced the importance of quality public education.
As a teacher and administrator for many years in private schools, the activism of these public-school participants confirms my belief that private schools do not have a corner on producing principled, value-minded and moral individuals.
I agree with Thomas Jefferson, “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.” He believed that public education is necessary “for the diffusion of knowledge … (and that) no other sure foundation can be devised for the preservation of freedom and happiness.”
Ronald Fischer, Lakewood
