Nell Steelman Whitlock: A gifted teacher

Regarding the May 15 news article “Gay fable draws ire at Orange elementary school”: I applaud Omar Currie’s intelligent decision to read to his students a book (“King & King”) about two people who love each other so much that they want to marry and build a life together.

It is such an important message for young children to learn. I believe they already have the impulse to love. Young children can accept the plain matter-of-fact truth about its variations. It is better to know the facts instead of getting lost in the fog of ignorance.

Adults do not have the right to tell their children who they can or cannot love. Perhaps if those squeamish parents who complained had had the benefit of a teacher like Currie to read such a book to them when they were young, they wouldn’t be so uptight now.

I hope Currie decides to continue at Efland-Cheeks, if that is what he wants to do; if not, I hope he will teach somewhere. It isn’t easy to be a teacher these days.

Currie seems to be a gifted, sensitive teacher who has the best interests of his students at heart. They are lucky to have him for their teacher. And their parents are, too.

This story was originally published May 20, 2015 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Nell Steelman Whitlock: A gifted teacher."