Editor,

We are writing as parents and community members. We are writing in support of an excellent teacher at South Whidbey High School, Mark Eager.

Mark Eager teaches advanced placement U.S. history. Our son had the good fortune to be in Mark’s class during the 2016 presidential campaign. He would come home excited to talk with us about the history he was learning, current events and the questions Mark was asking.

We were curious to know what Mark’s own political opinions were. We never found out. Our son said he had no idea what Mark’s political views were, that Mark asked questions to get the students to think and did not share his own views. We were impressed that the class remained unpoliticized during a heated presidential campaign.

In a recent South Whidbey Record article, Stina Wenzek stated, “It is not a public school teacher’s job to indoctrinate students with their own personal beliefs.”

At no time did we believe our son was being indoctrinated. We felt he was being asked to think critically about his own ideas and the ideas of others, separate fact from opinion and support his own claims with evidence.

South Whidbey High School students are fortunate to have Mark Eager as a teacher.

Valerie and Niall Twomey

Clinton