Today's Opinions

Trying to catch a few winks after a particularly long, bumpy flight from Copenhagen to Minneapolis, on an airport bench specifically designed to prevent waiting passengers from snoozing, I grew annoyed at somebody.

So did hundreds of drained passengers trying to cop a few zees, while a man with a bellicose voice prevented any slumbering.

Let me explain:

Recently, a Mora resident suspected nepotism in that community’s school district. This person said the district hired someone related to a school board member.

I went onto the Mora school district’s website and found the district’s nepotism policy within minutes. It turns out that the hiring didn’t violate the policy because the new employee was a board member’s stepson, and stepchildren aren’t a covered category in the policy.

A new school year has started and I know I’m preaching to the choir but it never hurts to reinforce important facts. Teaching is a hard but rewarding job. Next to the parents, a teacher is the most important person in a child’s life. Educators spend a lot of time and energy and money to prepare for their professions. Presidents, governors, and all other important people in the world accomplished something because they had good teachers who recognized their talents and potential early in life. A teacher’s patience and dedication never go unrewarded.