Lesson Learned

 "Never underestimate a public school teacher." 

That's what he said. "He" meaning Tim Walz. As he accepted the nomination of his party for Vice President of the United States. 

This hit home for me, not simply because I too am a public school teacher, but because I can still recall almost every single one of my public school teacher's names. Ms. Lutz. Ms. Minger. Ms. Hoff. Ms. Pyle. Ms. Stuart. Mr. Conklin. Ms. Leonard. Then it becomes a little more complicated with the jump to junior high school, what with all the changing of classes and homerooms and so forth. Frau Sargent. Frau Limbacher. They taught me German. Pete Clements taught me Geography and Government. The lineup for Science included Messrs. Crowley, Miller, and Hillstien.  And I could go on and on, but I suppose the easiest way to reflect on these folks is that I am now one of them. A purveyor of knowledge and a pourer of knowledge into not quite empty vessels. 

And I do it all on a teacher's salary. 

Of course, I don't have a state championship football team to stand behind me, nor was I the faculty advisor to the Gay-Straight Student Alliance, but I have picked up tables after Back to School Night. And I have sat with children whose parents "forgot" to pick them up on time. Sometimes for hours. When they show up, I reinforce the very real fact that their parents are busy people and they love their kids but their lives are so busy that sometimes even though they are trying as hard as they can, they forget. 

Sometimes I hear from kids that I teach that "it's not fair." And I go back to a phrase I saw on the board of a fifth grade colleague of mine some years back. Fifth graders are notorious for pointing out what they believe is not "fair." So he gave them this definition: Fair is when everyone gets what they need. This takes some time to learn, but happily I have plenty of time to share with kids and even some adults who might need a refresher. 

This is what I believe Tim Walz and is running mate Kamala Harris are bringing back to us all. Bullies, by their nature, are not fair. Far too many Americans are not getting what they need. It is time to bring back fairness, and these are the folks who can do it. It's a big job, but I have learned never to underestimate a public school teacher.