Readers Write: Teachers, investments and ethics, sustainable aviation, editorials, northern lights

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Dear reader, you may think this is another story about Gov. Tim Walz from a former student. And while Tim Walz was my high school teacher; this is a story about his wife, Gwen — my toughest teacher, who taught me how to believe in myself.

In the field of psychology, there is a phenomenon called the Pygmalion effect. Effectively, the Pygmalion effect states that increasing the leader’s expectation of the follower’s performance will result in better follower performance. And when applied to education, it has been shown that a teacher’s expectations can have an impact on student outcomes, including student achievement and college graduation rates.

Candidly, I had no awareness of the Pygmalion effect as a student at Mankato West High School, but I did have Mrs. Walz. As I watched the Democratic National Convention with my daughters last month, it struck me how fortunate I was to experience having a teacher see the potential in me and challenge me in ways academically that seemed superfluous at the time. In her classroom, I had paper after paper returned with red marks from top to bottom. Disheartening. Demoralizing. Magically morphing into: Progress. Passion. Learning. Belief.

Mrs. Walz believed in all of her students, and she vocalized that belief. She selflessly gave her time and energy to ensure that my peers and I understood the lesson. Even when it was hard, most especially when it was hard, she told her classroom that we can and would master it.

Believing in people is a posture of the heart, and Mrs. Walz unfailing believed in her students. As the hopeful Second Lady of the United States, her strong belief in each and every person has the power to unlock limitless potential. The lesson plan may look at little different in Washington, D.C., but her expectations will undoubtedly lead to a stronger performance.

Mrs. Walz, if you happen to read this, thank you for believing in me. And I hope you are not redlining too much text.

Molly Host, North Mankato, Minn.

For most rational people, money isn’t the only value. People flock to the grandeur of national parks, mountains, rivers and oceans. We travel miles away from home and stay up until oh-dark-thirty to experience the northern lights. Our hearts melt at the sight of babies, and when we mourn, there are no words to express our deep grief. Clearly, some things cannot be measured in money value.

It’s odd, then, when boards that control investment funds apparently think that “fiduciary duty to the investors” means only that they have to get the most money they can, even if money is not the highest value of the investors.

Imagine someone saying to you, “I will give you $1 million if you never see another beautiful or moving sight. For another million, you will have to give up the love of your parents, family and children. And, for yet another million dollars, all you have to do is not breathe fresh air, not drink fresh water, and eat uncontaminated food.”

You would walk away quickly.

Last week, the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents held a special meeting in which it declined to divest from certain investments related to Israel (”Regents vote to decline divestment calls,” Aug. 28). I wasn’t at the meeting and have not yet read what specific investments were under discussion. Presumably, many Israeli companies contribute to science, medicine and other efforts to promote quality of life. Presumably also, many Israeli companies profit from the destruction of innocent lives in Gaza and the West Bank. I certainly have heard no analysis of the university’s evaluation of the effects of the companies in which it invests on the lives and suffering of Palestinians. Merely saying that the endowment fund seeks to maximize its income is not exercising a fiduciary duty. It is abandoning it.

The current stage of the war in Gaza, and now the West Bank and in Lebanon, has been going on for nearly a year. Occupation of Palestinian lands and the building of illegal settlements have been going on for decades. That is enough time for the university to have conducted a thorough review of its investments in Israeli companies and the role those companies have played in the war.

History is clear. Maximizing short-term profits while ignoring investors’ true values often results in great human suffering and longer-term financial loss. As a public institution, the university should make it clear to the citizens of Minnesota, at least, and to the world that it is not ignoring its fiduciary duty.

Gary Brisbin, Fridley

I want to thank U.S. Reps. Angie Craig, D-Minn., and Brad Finstad, R-Minn., for their bipartisan support in joining the newly established Congressional Sustainable Aviation Caucus. Their collaboration and shared vision, regardless of party lines, are a testament to the potential of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and its role in achieving our common goals.

First and foremost, SAF is a key to meeting our climate goals, offering as much as an 80% decrease in carbon emissions. But beyond its environmental significance, SAF production can be an enormous boon to our agricultural producers.

The Midwest economy could see a significant boost if the federal government’s SAF production targets are met. With the potential to create 224,000 jobs, generate $9.3 billion in income and contribute $71 billion per year to the total economic output, SAF production could be a game-changer for our region.

Moreover, SAF would be revolutionary for the aviation sector, offering a practical and feasible solution to meet its climate goals. As a drop-in fuel that requires no modifications to the existing aircraft fleet, SAF is a straightforward and immediate step toward sustainability. The business aviation industry, for instance, which has set an ambitious target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, is leading the way in adopting sustainable technologies. It has already reduced emissions by 40% in just four decades and is now investing in SAF and other innovative technologies like hybrid, electric and hydrogen-powered propulsion systems.

SAF is truly a win-win for Minnesota and the Midwest. The bipartisan efforts of Reps. Craig and Finstad to support its adoption show that cooperation across party lines is still possible.

Niel Ritchie, Northfield

The writer is former president of the League of Rural Voters.

I, for one, dislike the current version of the Minnesota Star Tribune editorials where members of the Editorial Board prepare individual comments for publication. This process distances the newspaper from taking a stand as a whole. I want to know where the newspaper stands on an issue, not where a single member of the board stands. Recent editorials no longer take a strong stand one way or another and are better placed on the commentary page.

Richard Portnoy, Minneapolis

Regarding Maggie Koerth’s Aug. 25 column (“Best way to see the auroras? Outside the city, yes. But you don’t need to avoid the crowds”):

I don’t know if this is irony, and I hate irony, but after a great doubleheader concert at the Hook & Ladder in south Minneapolis recently, my wife and I walked to a parking lot behind the building to our car. I almost missed the miles-long vertical band of molting, vibrating colors directly over downtown! My peripheral vision figured it was a late sunset, but it was just before midnight and luckily my wife saw it.

We were standing all alone a block off Lake Street, witnessing this undulating band of pink and green smack on top of Minneapolis. We watched until our necks gave in, then watched some more on the way home to St. Paul through the south Minneapolis neighborhoods.

I haven’t heard of anybody else who had seen it, but it was spectacular. This is rare, but it happened to me once many years ago in town and was as cool as any of the times I’ve seen it up north. And those were incredible, too. Urban auroras!

Charles Lawson, St. Paul