This post was written by NCTE member Mary Beth Coudal.
Teaching is a weird profession. While, at times, you are in front of a crowd, there are many times when you’re alone. And there’s never ever enough time—despite summer vacations and religious holidays, which I am enjoying right now. And honestly, I could not be writing this during a school day, with all of the lesson planning, lecturing, conferencing, grading, chastising, or celebrating! (This active profession requires all of these verbs and more!)
The best part of teaching? The learning. You are literally paid to learn. And, as someone who came to teaching a little later in life, this angle thrills me. “Look at me, ma! I’m a lifelong learner!”
I believe that there is much politicians can learn from educators. Here are my top 11 teacher takeaways, in no particular order, for political campaigners as they seek elected office.
- Be prepared to change your message. Every child (and class!) is different—and just when you hit on one perfect strategy to engage the crowd, you have to pivot and teach with a new joke, slide in your deck, or quote to engage your class.
- Stay together during the fire drills. Okay, yes, teachers know when they’re coming, so we are prepared, like flight attendants on a plane before the turbulence hits. And we do know the protocol: stay calm and stay together. (And keep your side conversations to a minimum so you can hear the instructions from the fire warden.)
- Navigate conflict well. It is not only the students who will, reliably, argue with you about their grades. Take the high road and be mature as you listen to their arguments; ultimately, you know, it’s up to you—whether to change that B+ to an A-. Students—teachers and parents, too—have beefs with one another; still, they have to keep showing up in the same classrooms or faculty or PTA meetings. Keep on keeping on. Stay with your lesson plans and values, despite any animosity students or parents may feel toward you or each other.
- Be wary (and forgiving) of cheaters. Do not assume that most students are using AI to plagiarize their papers. On the other hand, when a student, surprisingly, posits a flawless thesis statement, there’s usually good reason for suspicion. Meet with the student one-on-one to discuss their reasoning rather than immediately sending them to a mandatory after-school detention.
- Work as a team with other adults. Go to all those IEP meetings or PD sessions. You might learn that your troubled student’s behavior is just the tip of the iceberg. There are needs, wants, issues raging below the surface. As a side note, enjoy those (non-peanut based) snacks at the meetings and professional development workshops!
- Celebrate often. And bring in your own (non-peanut based) snacks to share. And notice—yes, do it!—how you can build so many celebrations from the DEI calendar to bolster your lessons—a chance to discover new poetry forms like pantoums; or rediscover poets like Sappho; or artists like Frida Kahlo! Reminder: do not celebrate in a token way—but as a way to widen a classroom’s understanding of the rich traditions in the American canon.
- Question the censors. Our high school library has a whole shelf dedicated to the books that are being censored—kids are always asking, “Why?” “Why would anyone censor John Green? Alison Bechdel? Maia Kobabe?” Encourage that! Teaching is all about asking, “Why?”
- Try this two-word phrase: “Say more.” Sometimes students say counter-intuitive things. You might think they’re trying to get a laugh. And maybe they are. But often, the simple art of listening—of genuinely listening—allows that wisecracking student to discover some insight or gem that keeps the classroom discussion buzzing. Or, perhaps, they will trip themselves up with their own foolishness—which is okay too. But don’t laugh. Never shame anyone who genuinely attempts to make sense of their own perspective.
- Meet ridiculousness with supportive earnestness. Let’s say students are required to bubble in a standardized test box that asks them to identify their gender, and they make a big fuss, like: “What am I? A boy or girl, Ms. C?” Answer with, “You have my support for whichever box you tick.” They may truly be questioning their identity or society’s construct of identity.
- Be compassionate. As the saying goes, “Everyone is fighting some battle.” And we have little way of knowing what’s going on—with students’ family histories, raging hormones, anxieties, health challenges. I doubt any teacher ever regretted showing their students unmitigated kindness.
- Get to know your people. Your students have after-school endeavors. And not just the high-profile kids who perform in the big basketball games or musical productions. There is no better way to build on positive social capital than knowing that they exist beyond your classroom. Maybe you discover one excels at the flute because you went to last night’s band concert. Or you noticed that quiet student worked a shift in a fast-food kitchen.
I’m sure seasoned politicians must know all of this (and so much more) as they campaign. But I’m a teacher; we like to repeat ourselves. And while there are moments, as teachers, that we feel alone, we also know that our colleagues have our backs. Teachers want others to succeed. That makes all our jobs a little easier.
Besides, when we celebrate our teacher colleagues and students, old and new, our hearts are warmed and our society is bettered. As educators and political leaders, we can and do make the choice to learn and grow together.
Mary Beth Coudal is a high school English teacher in New York City. She spends her summers and school breaks in the Adirondack mountains. Coudal has previously written for the Albany Times Union newspaper, among other magazines and newspapers.
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