Last week, voters in Chicago did something the mainstream media thought would never happen: They listened to the advice of educators in their community and elected a former middle school teacher to be the mayor of their city — after he promised to invest in schools and communities.
Imagine that.
Brandon Johnson's election to lead the Windy City, while being celebrated by working families and educators across Chicago and the nation, has Republicans and their right-wing echo chamber scratching their heads. They believe teachers are responsible for all that ails our country. In their minds, educators indoctrinate students, encourage them to understand racism and the sordid history of our past and reject the gender God gave them at birth. So many are questioning why on Earth the third largest city in the country would choose to put a teacher at its helm. It's because Republicans got it wrong.
Polls in Chicago and nationwide show that most people respect and admire teachers. We all remember that one inspiring educator who made a difference, the one who believed in us, saw our potential and encouraged us to succeed. To the vast majority of Americans, teachers are the good guys.
According to some of Mayor-Elect Brandon Johnson's former middle school history students, "Mr. J" did more than just teach them history. He taught them how to be productive and disciplined citizens. And, he instilled in them the importance of being more than their circumstances but rather an amalgamation of their dreams.
"If he can change the kids at Cabrini Green he can change the city," said Tara Stamps, a fellow educator who worked with Johnson at Jenner Academy in Chicago's Cabrini Green neighborhood.
The deep commitment to young people from Johnson and the millions of educators like him across the country stands in stark contrast to the right-wing caricatures of educators and their "big, bad power-grabbing union." Polls also show that people trust teacher unions, more than politicians, to do right by students, their families and communities that are served by public schools.
Whether it be the push to ban books about Black history, limit discussions related to sexual orientation and gender identity, curtail the teaching of history in classrooms or the trumped-up faux hysteria around the teaching of "critical race theory," Republican talking points and their relentless attacks against America's classrooms are not grounded in evidence or the lived-experience of public school students and families. And Chicago's recent election is the proof point.
In Chicago, and in many school buildings across the country, parents and community members see educators being forced to solve problems with fewer and fewer resources. Teachers navigate the complicated social dynamics of the classroom and the political dynamics of a school district. Like police and firefighters, they are first responders, dealing with the daily social and emotional emergencies and disasters that students face.
During the pandemic, educators supported students through the trauma, grief and loss of loved ones from a deadly virus. During remote learning, teachers had a bird's eye view of their students' struggles at home. They saw students caring for their siblings or forced to take a job to help their parents make ends meet. And when schools reopened their doors, educators raised their voices to guarantee that their classrooms were safe, adequately ventilated and equipped with all the supplies to ensure that students and their families remained healthy.
When students come to school hungry, teachers help feed them. They buy warm winter hats and gloves for those in their care as well as school supplies. And they hold out a helping hand when a student is scared, lonely, or traumatized by violence in their neighborhood.
That's why electing teachers to lead makes so much sense.
This election shows that it's not just Chicago that appreciates its teachers. On the same day Chicago elected a teacher mayor, in the city's suburbs, a slew of far-right school board members—intent on banning books, punishing queer and transgender students, and barring the teaching of actual American history — lost their elections. Voters rejected their extremist notion that teachers are usurping parents' rights and need to be put in their place.
Far right conservatives have spun a narrative that says teachers are the enemy. They blame educators for everything from the breakdown of families to the crime and violence in our streets. And they want politicians, not educators, to control what our students hear, read and think.
Pundits continue to assert that America is deeply and equally divided when it comes to how we feel about our educators and the role they play in our society. Over and over again, those with the loudest megaphones continue to give credence to a far-right ideology that is seeped in misinformation, feigned outrage and attempts by politicians to scapegoat educators and their classrooms for political gain.
On some issues, we may, indeed, be divided. But, when it comes to appreciating the difficult job teachers have and the critically important public service they provide, we are incredibly united.
Most people love, respect and admire our teachers. And when given the opportunity, they will elect them to public office.
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