‘My students will see my red, swollen eyes’: a teacher responds to Donald Trump’s triumph

‘I have remained as unbiased as possible in my classroom this entire election. I wonder, how can I sustain this neutrality for four more years of Trump?’
9th November 2016, 12:47pm

Share

‘My students will see my red, swollen eyes’: a teacher responds to Donald Trump’s triumph

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/my-students-will-see-my-red-swollen-eyes-teacher-responds-donald-trumps-triumph
Thumbnail

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow TES USA on Twitter and like TES USA on Facebook.

As I enter my classroom today, I wonder how to unpack last evening’s election results with my students. I have remained as unbiased as possible in my classroom this entire election. My students do not know who I voted for and they do not know my party affiliation. I believe it is important to present myself this way as I am in a position of power in the classroom.  

But this morning, my students will see my red, swollen eyes. They will hear my shaky and cracking voice. They will understand that I can’t seem to focus on the lesson of the day. And I wonder, how can I sustain this neutrality for four more years?

In class, we are reading The Kite Runner. This morning, we were going to talk about the chapter where the main character, an Afghan refugee fleeing from the Soviet Invasion, adjusts to life as an immigrant in the US. How can we empathize with his experience, while the new leader of his country has called for a ban on all immigrants from countries with terrorism?

How Donald Trump has changed the narrative

We are learning about rhetoric, or language intelligence as we call it in class. We have studied the words of Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr., and the founding fathers of our country. How can we analyze the beauty and power of such rhetoricians, while the new leader of this country cannot coherently and intelligently discuss his proposed policies?

We are learning about the history of women in the U.S. in my Women’s Studies class. How can we talk about the monumental election and the gains women have made, while addressing the rampant misogyny that was ever-present during Clinton’s run for the presidency? How do we go from the enthusiasm, strength, and power of Michelle Obama, to our new leader’s promised policies against access to abortion and other women’s healthcare rights?

When I walked into the voting booth yesterday, my eyes glistened with the exciting prospect of our first female president. I looked at the women around me voting in this historic election, and wondered if they were also full of inspiration to be finally voting for a female candidate.

And now, the glistening in my eyes has turned to tears. We let one progressive, inspirational historic moment turn into another darker, fearful one. Today marks a moment in American history. Instead of a step forward, we have taken a leap backwards. 

Rebecca McGrath is a high school teacher in New Jersey, US

Want to keep reading for free?

Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Keep reading for just £1 per month

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get:

  • Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
  • Exclusive subscriber-only stories
  • Award-winning email newsletters
Recent
Most read
Most shared