Tim Walz brings joy and hope to Pennsylvania teachers

Teachers across Pennsylvania are feeling extra motivated about the start of the school year. In less than three months, they could see Tim Walz, a former teacher, be elected vice president.  

With the start of the school year quickly approaching, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is bringing joy to teachers from across Pennsylvania at a time when they need it the most. 

Vice President Kamala Harris picked Walz, a former 20-year teacher, to be her running mate at a time when teachers have been politicized and scapegoated by conservatives and right-wing extremists for the books they assign or the students they protect.

After years of teachers feeling like their voices are sidelined and they’re increasingly under attack, Harris’ choice of Walz is a breath of fresh air for educators. 

“When Tim Walz says that he understands what teachers are going through every day, he really does because he lived our life for 20 years,” Vicki Truchan, an 8th grade English teacher in the North Hills School District, told The Keystone in an interview. 

“It means a lot to me as a teacher to have somebody at that level who I really feel like understands my life and can speak to the issues that we’re all dealing with as teachers today.”

The Keystone interviewed teachers from across Pennsylvania about Walz being picked as Harris’ running mate and describing them as enthusiastic would be an understatement. 

“I think it’s fantastic. I think that in all my years, Tim Walz is one of the most relatable candidates. For me, being a teacher, I think he understands what my life is like,” Jennifer Todd, a family and consumer science teacher for middle school and high school students in the Bald Eagle Area School District, explained in an interview. 

Todd traveled to Philadelphia last week to watch Harris introduce Walz to the nation and called the experience “electric.” 

During her speech, Harris introduced Walz as a teacher, coach, and as the first faculty advisor of his high school’s gay-straight alliance. Earlier this year, Walz signed a bill making it illegal for schools, colleges, and public libraries to ban books based on their viewpoints, content, or opinions. 

“I feel like we’ve been needing this, and I would really look forward to seeing what he would do with his voice,” Kristy Moore, a Lancaster public school teacher, said when asked about the significance of Walz speaking out against book bans. 

“I think any of us just really appreciate it when people can stand up for us. I personally have been accused of some terrible things based on books and the content of books, and for a variety of reasons, I think teachers are afraid to speak out.”

Every teacher  interviewed felt optimistic that a Harris-Walz administration would be able to live up to the standard President Joe Biden set as being one of the most pro-union presidents in US history. 

“We’ve seen labor unions come out in support. I think this is going to be the strongest pro-union ticket that we may have ever had, and that means a lot to our middle class,” Moore said.

“When teachers are feeling valued, when teachers are feeling appreciated, and when they have the resources that they need, when our unions are able to advocate for us, it makes our job easier, it makes our job more pleasant, and that trickles all the way down to our students.”