Donald Trump should be applauded for providing us with an endless stream of teachable moments. By violating every rule in the book — and many unwritten and unspoken ones — he teaches us what these rules are and how important they are to the functioning of a civil society.

Like Richard Nixon before him, he is teaching us that no one, not even the most powerful man on earth, is above the law.

His bigotry keeps reminding us of the importance of checks and balances, the separation of church and state, and the idea that people are innocent until proven guilty.

By clinging to fake facts, he is teaching us about the process by which real facts gain credibility, and the importance of free and open discussion.

Again and again he informs us that democracy is a work in progress, something we can never take for granted.

Norma Jane Langford, Quincy