Letter to the Editor - NY Times

Pasadena, 4/20/1998

Dear Editor:

It seems paradoxical that at an eminently meritocratic school like Stuyvesant High School, students are punished for writing that it should me merit, and not seniority, that determines faculty promotions. After all, nobody contends that it should be the oldest and not the best applicants who get admitted. More importantly, teaching students to just 'mind their own business' and write only about 'student problems' encourages apathy and narrow-mindedness. Freedom of speech is perhaps the most important guarantor of democracy, and it should be encouraged from an early age.

Sincerely,

Alex Bäcker