Ten “Teachers of the Year” from Texas, Utah, New York and Florida have signed a letter “strongly opposing Donald Trump’s candidacy for president.” They do so knowing that as a rule most teachers are expected to remain “politically neutral” around their students. These teachers have crossed that line because they believe that the stakes are far too high to remain silent.
We are teachers. We are supposed to remain politically neutral. For valid reasons, we don’t want to offend our students, colleagues or community members. But there are times when a moral imperative outweighs traditional social norms. There are times when silence is the voice of complicity. This year’s presidential election is one such time.
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We teach children that girls are just as smart, capable, and worthy of respect as boys. Donald Trump has mocked women in myriad ways, including his post-debate tirades against Alicia Machado, his off-color innuendo about FOX host Megyn Kelly, and his predatory boasts about groping.
We teach children that the content of their character, not the color of their skin, determines their worth. Donald Trump has attacked Latinos, Muslims, and African-Americans. He has described Mexican immigrants as “rapists,” called for an immigration ban based entirely on refugees’ religious beliefs, and questioned our first Black president’s citizenship long after it became clear that Obama is indeed American.
Read the whole letter at the Washington Post.