Today’s society has become polarized to the point where some may forget you can be politics-free when needed.

It’s clear at least in the current town politics that people are painting Cynthia Couture, who is running for Town Council, as someone who is incapable of listening to opposition. As an ex-student of hers, I would argue that is far from the truth. Before someone points fingers and turns this into another “nail in the coffin” of her political career, I am not implying that she included politics in her English class lessons.

I was an 11th grade student of hers. When politics would come up from the student level, she would not stifle discussion. She would also not show favoritism or embolden those who might have aligned themselves with her politically. The bottom line is that from my experience, I saw that she would listen to both sides. If someone raised a point that might be considered conservative but was correct in the situation that was being discussed, she would support it, not because of politics, but because it was logical.

She taught us to examine ideas and to think.