I love the Op-Ed section of the paper. I believe we all need to write at least one letter on something we’re passionate about in our lifetime. In saying that, I applaud this reader

Re: “Student Voices: The future may be STEM, but don’t leave liberal arts education behind” [June 26, Education Lab]:

This is a brilliantly penned response from a student recognizing the need for exploration in the humanities to balance the STEM emphasis that has grown exponentially. Recognizing that young people are dealing with high levels of stress and mental health issues might also be an argument to further emphasize liberal arts in addition to STEM related classes.

As a language arts teacher, I know that studying literature requires examining perspectives and navigating concepts that are essential to the cultural fabric of the world. To wrestle with moral issues in a novel means that a student begins to cultivate their own moral compass, meaning that art can push people to change, grow and evolve. If not exposed to great philosophy, the progression of history or the artistic expression that has helped define movements in the evolution of humanity, then we would largely be unaware of what has come before us — we would live in a vacuum in many ways.

Technology is certainly the future, but don’t forget that people need to explore humanity, culture and methods of critical thinking if we wish to truly have a well-rounded future.

Daniel Fassler, North Bend