From the Classroom to the White House

(Source: The Washington Post)

I don’t know much about Minnesota Governor Tim Walz or whether I agree with all of his policies. What I do know is that Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s choice for running mate is a former high school social studies/history/geography teacher.

And from everything I’ve read thus far, he apparently was a damn good teacher.

Here is just one example:

Our school didn’t have air conditioning, and he would just get all sweaty and really passionate about whatever he was talking about. And it was just, you know, his shirt would get disheveled, but the passion would transfer over to us.

By all accounts he was a beloved teacher and coach, who was fully invested in his students’ intellectual and moral development. Clearly, he left a positive impression on many of his former students.

Walz apparently embraced GIS technology early and found ways to utilize it in his classroom.

Harris’s choice has clearly lit a spark in the Democratic Party, but for this former high school history teacher it is a validation of the hard work and commitment that I see in my fellow teachers throughout the year.

I recently spent a week in Washington, D.C. working with some of the most talented history teachers from around the country. Their passion for learning was infectious, matched only by their love for their students.

(With teachers at the African-American Civil War Monument in Washington, D.C.)

This has always been my experience working with teachers throughout the year. There was nothing special about this particular group, though each of them in their own right is amazing and deserve our full respect and thanks.

Unfortunately, that’s not how our educators and history/social studies teachers specifically are currently being treated.

In states across the country they are seen as threats to students and the broader public. State lawmakers and their allies want the public to believe that teachers are indoctrinating their students with obscure theories or encouraging them to hate their country.

It is a breadth of fresh air to see a former teacher possibly ascend to one of the highest public offices in our nation. You are not going to find anyone more committed to the future of this country than a teacher, who invest their time and energy into helping to create a more promising future one student, one class, and one school year at a time.

Politicians routinely pay lip service to the importance of public education, but it is another thing entirely to have a veteran of the classroom speak through experience and an intimate understanding of the challenges that our teachers currently face.

We all know that the role of the Vice president is limited, but if Governor Walz does reach this office, I hope he, along with his wife, who is also a former teacher, champions the cause of our teachers and the important work they do, ultimately, for all of us.

Our teaches and students need and deserve it.