To the editor:

As a parent of a child who thrived in Mr. Blanchard’s Lang and Lit course as a freshman, I would like to offer our experience. Our son not only thrived academically but felt he had a teacher who really cared about him. Our son’s experience was that Mr. Blanchard had a good sense of humor and often used wit, irony, and sarcasm in his interactions with his students. He and several friends who were in Mr. Blanchard's class completely disagree that the intention of the email the Van Ness family made public was to actually threaten their child. This is where context is critical and, while I agree the choice of words was not wise, the idea of a highly respected and experienced teacher sending his students written threats seems somewhat preposterous. I would hope the Van Ness family would have reached out directly to Mr. Blanchard to clarify the meaning of the email before publishing their letter. 

As I think back to all my years of education and medical training, I remember well the teachers and professors that would banter and joke with us. They were often the ones who seemed genuinely interested in our lives and the ones who would bring some levity to at times very serious medical situations. I would hope that if one of my students or trainees found fault with something I wrote, they would bring it to me directly or perhaps address it with my supervisors and not publish their concerns until they did their due diligence in clarifying my intent. Teachers have endured unprecedented levels of stress and given a lot of their time and energy to adapting their curricula to the new learning environment the pandemic created. Mr. Blanchard has been a dedicated teacher and leader for many years, including playing a key role in securing BHS's recent Blue Ribbon school designation this past year. I am appreciative of all the efforts he and other teachers have made to ensure our students learn and succeed, especially during these challenging times. 

Sincerely,

Carla Martin

Barrington