I support Maine’s adoption of the Common Core State Standards in mathematics. Maine is one of 45 states that have adopted these standards for K-12 students. Some people want to back away from these new standards. That would be a mistake. I am an educator with 30 years’ experience teaching math in the public schools, including nine as an elementary mathematics specialist.

A while back kittens were found in a dumpster. They were covered with maggots, some had died. There was such an outcry for these kittens: “How could anyone have done this?”

My husband, a licensed clinical professional counselor, traveled to area nursing homes several times a week to visit with residents for various reasons, mostly depression.

We appreciate your thoughtful opinion expressed about the closing of the Halcyon House Emergency Shelter for Youth (“Loss of shelter will be costly in different way,” Sept. 10). The shelter has been a safe place for hundreds of youths for more than 30 years and has been a focus of fundraising efforts over those decades.

I was watching “60 Minutes” on CBS on Sept. 8. It has been some time since I watched that show, but that one really caught my interest.