Safe Learning Environments Are About Respect and Relationships

Regarding the article on professors’ free-speech statements (On the Campus, March issue): I have been teaching at Harvard Medical School for over 30 years. The notion that speech in the classroom has to be limited to protect a “safe learning environment” may be misguided. The values that must be espoused are “respect” and “commitment to learning.” We learn from diverse views and experiences. By developing respectful relationships within a classroom, one builds trust, which usually allows for freer exchange of ideas without setting too many guardrails.