Open Forum: Goofy kids learn too

I believe that students should be able to use a method of learning that benefits them the most when in a school setting. In school, I personally make all of my lessons fun. A standard educational setting bores me. I can’t stay focused. But when I act in a goofier and fun-seeking manner, I pay more attention and my work gets done more efficiently. And I retain what I learn better.

Recently, a teacher informed of my goofy ways. She said that there is a time and a place to be goofy. I believe that school is the place to act as such, for the sake of my education. Learning is about encoding information to memory. And if a student cannot encode information by the teaching style used by the proctor, the student should be allowed to use a unique method of their own choice. This shows a desire to learn by the student, rather than ignorance and retaliation.

Jerott Otto

Pillager

Extend the COBRA subsidy

As many Minnesotans know, COBRA is a vital program that allows jobless workers to keep their health care as they look for new work. The Recovery Act passed by President Obama at the beginning of his term included a COBRA subsidy through the end of this year, but if we fail to act again, millions of Americans currently looking for work will be faced with a further, unbearable burden - the tripling of their COBRA payments.

Now, I'm pleased that we're moving towards real national health care reform that will cover more folks and bring down health care costs for families and the federal government. We'll invest in prevention and provide incentives for doctors to provide high-quality health care.

But while health reform will bring long-term relief, extending COBRA will help us bridge the gap before health reform is fully implemented.

Seven million workers and their families have used the COBRA subsidies in 2009. That includes thousands of Minnesotans. The expiration of the subsidy will make premiums so expensive that many families will be forced to drop their coverage, adding further to the number of uninsured Americans. Now is not the time to put another burden on struggling families.

I'm fighting in the Senate to extend the COBRA subsidy another sixth months, through June of 2010. By that time, our economy will have made significant progress in job creation, and many Americans will be back on the job. The extension will also include an increase in the subsidy-from 65 percent to 75 percent, allowing more families to retain coverage.

During this recession, the last thing Congress should do is pull the plug on benefits before folks have had a chance to get back on their feet.

Sen. Al Franken

D-Minn.