Hello, everyone! With three months until election day, we’re back for another round of BuzzFeed’s 2024 Election Diaries!
This weekly series highlights different groups of voters nationwide to find out what political issues are most important to them AND who they plan to support for president in 2024.
A few weeks back, Democrats wondered who Vice President Kamala Harris would select as her running mate. Well, she decided on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former public school teacher.
Following this historic VP pick, we decided to ask teachers to share their top education-related concerns and who they will be voting for in November.
We received responses from teachers all over the country, and our poll found that 92.9% of respondents plan to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
4.3% expressed support for Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.
Whether you agree with their political opinions or not, here’s what 17 teachers had to say anonymously:
All images are AI-generated.
1.“I teach first-year college students at a public university in New Mexico. I think states forcing religion into the classroom is very concerning. The Harris/Walz ticket represents the idea that education should be dictated by the facts of academic study and that the government has no right to interject religion into classrooms.”
2.“As an early childhood teacher at a NY public school, safety is my top concern. Being murdered at work is a real possibility, and I can’t describe the stress of teaching 4-year-olds about how to make themselves less likely to die during a school shooting while paying for all of my own classroom supplies in an attempt to meet all of their academic, physical, and social/emotional needs. It’s bullshit. I’m hopeful that Walz’s background in education will have some effect on those of us in the classroom.”
3.“I’m a public school teacher in NYC, and I’m really worried about the education gap post-COVID. I had always planned to vote Democrat, but having a former teacher as VP makes me feel that our concerns and the future of education in the country will be taken seriously by someone who has actually experienced the school system.”
4.“I’m a third-grade teacher at a Title I school in Georgia, and I’m really worried about teacher burnout. I think that Vice President Harris truly supports educators. I mean, Walz is a former teacher, and so is his wife. Also, neither wants to abolish the education system, ban books, or whitewash history.”
5.“I teach doctorate students in Indiana, and I’m voting for Trump because we need to stop the liberal indoctrination of our impressionable students. Trump is a proven leader with strong family values and respect for the Constitution of the United States; he truly wants to make America a great country.”
6.“The separation of church and state and teacher pay are my top two issues. Kamala fought against book bans as VP and will continue to do so as president. She has stated that she is a product of the public school system and cares about what young people are being taught because they are the future.”
“She also supports teacher pay increases, which is important as there is a huge need for educators. People are afraid to become teachers now. Between attacks on schools and verbal abuse suffered by students and parents alike, it is not an easy feat. Then, being told we can’t teach appropriate or accurate curriculum? No thanks.”
Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine
7.“I’m a fourth-grade teacher, and I’m most worried about school shootings that are occurring so often that many are not even covered by the media anymore. How has the murder of children become accepted in our society?”
“We have a party that is so anti-abortion they are willing to change the laws but will ignore the murder of children. They want the baby born, but they don’t care if it’s killed five years later. It’s insane! I want it to be harder to get a gun than anything in society.”
Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine
8.“I teach seventh-grade language arts at a public school. My biggest concern about Trump becoming president would be that nothing is done regarding school shootings. They happen too often, and a few easy bills could be passed to prevent them.”
“I don’t get why some people don’t care that children are dying horrible and preventable deaths. Harris has a background in cutting down on crime, and I think she will do a good job trying to pass bills about gun laws.”
Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine
9.“My students need access to everything, including food, support, unbiased materials, good teachers, and support staff. I believe there is truly no better option than Kamala. Project 2025 outlines abhorrent ways education will be rolled back in ways that will be detrimental to every student. We have to vote for candidates who will put schools and students at the top of our priority lists.”
10.“I teach middle schoolers at a private school, and my top concern right now is bans on what we can teach and how we are allowed to teach it. I also worry about things similar to the ‘Don’t say gay’ bill. I believe Kamala supports teachers and the freedoms necessary for teachers to meet the students where they are. I am also motivated by the VP candidate having a teacher background.”
11.“I currently teach middle school health classes. I have a son in the Air Force and a son-in-law in the Army. I’m all in for the military over education at this time in my life. My son and son-in-law have been in the military for over 15 years and have seen war, and their families are struggling financially due to the poor economy. Republicans are more focused on the military, and the economy was much better under them.”
12.“I teach middle schoolers in Texas, and our state is already cutting funding to its public schools because Greg Abbott wants to dismantle public education here. He’s a pro-charter, and private schools and districts are having to cut corners where they can. If Donald Trump is in office, more of the same will happen on a national level. I’m excited for Kamala and especially Walz as someone who’s worked in public education to ensure that teachers are being taken care of.”
13.“As a preschool teacher, student safety is my #1 priority. I’m sick of seeing children gunned down and Republicans doing nothing but shrugging their shoulders and muttering ‘thoughts and prayers.’ I’m also terrified that Trump will eliminate the Department of Education. As a Minnesotan, I saw how hard Walz worked to help students with things like free meals for students.”
“If he gets elected as vice president, it will be refreshing to have someone who has actually been in the classroom help make decisions about education and to know they genuinely care about children and their well-being. Republicans have proven again and again they don’t.”
Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine
14.“Equitable support for all students, regardless of socio-economic situation, is my top concern. Republicans have pushed to provide tax dollars to private schools. They have passed legislation to ban books, eliminate the separation of religion from public education, and create a false American history. They are pursuing a white Christian nationalist agenda.”
15.“I teach seventh-grade English, and teacher pay/retention are my top issues right now. I think Kamala understands the middle class and is willing to put us first. Her VP is a former teacher and football coach, whose wife was also a teacher. We need someone who knows what it’s like to be in the trenches.”
“Someone who’s been cussed at, has seen teachers’ lives be threatened (like I had), who knows the real reasons why schools are failing, and is for public education instead of concerned with lining the pockets of fellow lawmakers.”
Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine
16.“The far right’s plan to dismantle the Dept. of Education and quality education access for underprivileged children are my top issues as a special education K–12 teacher. VP Harris demonstrates common sense and dignity. She has unquestionable character. She is not hateful, mean, racist, or divisive.”
And finally…
17.“I am most concerned about the safety of my students. This includes everything from, ‘Can they afford to eat three meals a day?’ to ‘If they break their arm playing soccer, will their family have to go into debt to get it treated?’ to ‘Will we all be victims of gun violence this school year?’”
“The Democratic Party has been consistently more egalitarian within my lifetime. It has the concerns of ALL my students at its heart, not just the middle-class white ones. Most of my students are queer, Black, Muslim, Hindi, Asian, or multilingual. I’ve never seen that kind of representation in the Republican Party unless it was an obvious pandering attempt.”
Michaela Bramwell / Meta Imagine
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and we’ll see you next round!
Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
Source Agencies
