Editor,
Monica Cyrino is one of the best things that has happened to this University, as well as to me as a student. I had Greek mythology with her last semester, as an optional class, and I totally loved it. Her sense of humor and fun style of teaching inspired me to go to class, and I remember more from her class last semester than I do from any other class I have taken at this University.
She demonstrated a comfort with herself that I personally admired, and I really enjoyed how she took antiquity and applied it to our world today to make it make a little more sense. Unlike the person who wrote a letter in Tuesday's paper, I didn't find this degrading or insulting. I found her style engaging, fun and easy to learn from.
The author of the letter should keep in mind that she was discussing Classics 107, which is geared towards freshman. I think that if I had had a class like that and a professor like her as a freshman, I would have been more inspired earlier on to do well in school, because I could see that we can make it fun and humorous. Or at least some of us can.
I am really concerned with this entire situation. I wonder why some students want to sit in a boring lecture class listening to monotone professors drone on and on about something that I stopped paying attention to about 10 minutes into the lecture. We should be damn glad to have professors like Monica Cyrino, and Richard Berthold for that matter, who keep things fun and open in an environment that many of us find most conducive to learning.
I am also concerned that other faculty members are bothered by Monica's style. Are you jealous that we all love her and not you? College is supposed to open our minds, allow us to have a good time and teach us many things - most of all tolerance of ideas that are different from our own. It really, really saddens me that a few deadbeat students and faculty members may prevent future UNM students from experiencing the fun and educational teachings of Monica Cyrino.
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Kate Pyle
UNM senior
