This letter was written by University of Michigan student and Huron Orchestra alumni Naomi Lin.

To you who are concerned,

Let me start off by saying that Chris Mark, all that he is as a teacher and as a person, has changed my life in a myriad of ways. He is an inspiration and a testament to the oftentimes questionable goodness in humanity.

As a former student of Mr. Mark, I can confidently and proudly say that he is one of the best teachers I have ever had. He is 90 percent of why I stuck with orchestra all four years of high school, even though I was last chair and did not particularly care for my individual performance advancement. He made playing in an orchestra exciting, thrilling and an experience that can only be described as priceless.

'How?' you may ask. I do not know. All I know is that he lived, breathed and expressed music in all its passionate, fierce, expressive and healing glory. I saw music lived out through him. And it was this seeing that revolutionized how I viewed, listened and thought about music. Oh, all the things that music does! I never saw or cared until I met Mr. Mark.

Because of him, I have cultivated my own individual appreciation and understanding of music. Although he was very vocal about his beliefs, he never imposed them on others. Instead, he cultivated an attitude of inquiry within the classroom. You cannot find a teacher like Chris Mark, who can deftly and genuinely practice Socratic learning, very often in today’s public schools. To put it bluntly, firing him on the grounds that he is “unfit to teach” would be foolish and preposterous.

This brings me to my second point.

I am sure you all will be, if not already, flooded with letters supporting Mr. Mark. With such overwhelming support from students, parents, why is the possibility of termination even on the table? He is a good teacher. Isn’t that clear?

Sure, his personal life is not the best or even anywhere near good, but is that any basis to fire, again, a good (if not great) teacher. Good. Teacher. When it comes to teaching, Chris Mark is far beyond average. You don’t have to approve of his personal choices. Even I don’t approve of many of his personal choices.

However, who am I to judge? Who is anyone or any bureaucracy to impose what are known as “societal norms” on an individual and based on that ruin his life, his career? And this isn’t even about Mr. Mark. It’s the principle. What kind of message would that send to students, children everywhere? That the world is a place where bosses, whether they be superintendents or even just people, and parents with money pass invalid judgment and destroy a person’s reputation, thus rendering him powerless? Is this the message you want to send? That freedom of personal choice is a myth and that if someone of greater power deems you “inadequate,” it is so and you must either change who you are or be ruined? What counterintuitive bull---.

Chris Mark has invariably shaped not only my life but also those of many others. He is a remarkable teacher; he is someone who truly embodies a knowledge and wisdom imparter. Not a drill sergeant. Not a test-taking machine. No. He is not so petty.

I’ve written more than I did for my college essay. And funny thing is, I haven’t even covered much of what I want to say. This is only a glimpse. Mr. Mark taught me that life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat.

Naomi Lin
Huron High School ‘09
University of Michigan ‘13

Jing Chai is a student at Huron High School and can be contacted at promisedalacrity@gmail.com.