Source: Editorial Board
Teachers and their infinite influence and value have been getting a lot of attention lately. The new Democratic Vice Presidential candidate, Tim Walz, a former high school teacher and coach, was encouraged by his students to run for Congress. In a sit-down with Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, he discussed how becoming a parent even furthered his commitment to children. Walz said, “Once I had my own children, it became so clear to me… that that child who came through the door was somebody’s most special thing in their life. Thinking of a parent dressing their little one up and sending them off to school, so proud of them. I wanted to come through that door and just lift them up.”
Every day, we send our children off to school, entrusting that the person caring for them will see their humanity, understand their weaknesses, and guide them toward knowledge. We are hopeful that the administrators and superintendents are thinking holistically about their schooling and working to create a campus where they are safe from violence and free to learn. This year, we can elect the most senior position in our public schools, State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The jaw-dropping contrast of the candidates is a crystal clear reflection of the Presidential election: an insurrectionist who threatens violence against her opponents and wants to dismantle and defund our institutions and a public servant with area expertise who believes in the promise of a multi-racial democracy.
The Democratic party has nominated Mo Green, who served as Guilford County’s first Black Superintendent; during his tenure, the district saw improved test scores and lowered dropout rates. Green was known for his “Mo Wants To Know” listening tours, which he used to learn wants and needs directly from the community. As superintendent, Green repeatedly denied himself salary raises so that more money was directed to the schools. He has made it clear that public schools offer a fundamental function to civil society, creating engaged communities and continuing to make North Carolina attractive to businesses as we have an educated workforce. He is uninterested in distracting culture wars and book bans and instead wants to focus on teacher pay and retention, higher test scores, and reducing violence on campus.
In nearly polar opposite, the Republican candidate for State Superintendent, Michele Morrow, is a name that is familiar to those who track hate groups and domestic terrorists but remains mostly unknown to North Carolinians. Morrow, a failed Wake County school board candidate, espouses Q-Anon conspiracies, brought her children to the January 6th insurrection, and called upon then-President Trump to suspend the constitution and enact a military coup. She has called for the public lynching of President Barack Obama and Governor Roy Cooper. Morrow does not believe in the promise of a free public education. She homeschools her children and encourages others to do the same. She has been clear that she will dismantle the office of Superintendent and deny the federal funding our schools so desperately rely on.
Michele Morrow’s vision of our public schools, educators, and children is dark. Prone to posting videos on her social media, she has offered her twisted worldview, in which she is troubled to overhear people speaking Spanish in public, she does not believe Muslim children should be able to attend school, and she calls our school’s indoctrination centers for socialism.
Morrow’s ideas are so jarring because they run smack up against our reality. We know that bilingual Americans are not to be feared, that children who worship a different God are not less than others, and that teachers are not secretly plotting against parents. We know that no matter where you are from, whatever your background or zip code, you agree a stable and successful school system is a fundamental American right.
School is a place where childhood happens. It is where we learn some of life’s most important lessons: listen, compromise, and stand up for yourself and others. North Carolinians of all races, backgrounds, and genders should have the freedom to learn, be themselves, and pursue their dreams. It is our job as voters to elect a safe and trusted individual to provide that environment. A violent, small-minded conspiracy theorist is not the person for the job. Let’s do our job this November, and ensure Michele Morrow will never be in charge of our children’s future.
