In the early 1980s, as the administrator of the writing-across-the-curriculum program at Beaver College (now Arcadia University), I ran summer seminars sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for Philadelphia-area teachers on the theme of the president of the United States as the teacher-in-chief. The topic provided a context for working with participants on the latest research in the teaching of writing, and we all learned a lot from the theme — a distinctive way of looking at the presidency and at the art of teaching.
We read works by Thomas Jefferson, who viewed himself primarily as an educator, reflected by his chosen designation on his tombstone as founder of the University of Virginia, rather than as president of the United States. We reflected on the ways that selected additional presidents educated by policy, by rhetoric, and by example.
Here are some lessons from the history of teachers-in-chief:
- George Washington: The peaceful transfer of power is essential to U.S. democracy, with his farewell address foreshadowing the 23rd amendment to the Constitution requiring presidential term limits.
- Abraham Lincoln: A nation cannot exist half slave and half free, two contradictory moral imperatives.
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Fear is a potent force preventing us from moving forward to do the right things.
- John F. Kennedy: Sustaining democracy requires service and sacrifice.
Looking at presidents as educators helped us all become better teachers and more informed voters.
As the 2024 presidential election approaches, I recommend that we look at the candidates through the lens of their role as teacher-in-chief. In vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, we have an actual teacher on the ballot. That’s in contrast to the long list of presidential candidates with law degrees and / or business experience.
For 20 years, while also serving in the Army National Guard, Governor Walz taught social studies and coached football in Nebraska and Minnesota. One of his students remembers, “He really taught both sides of everything. He wasn’t pushy about, you know, right or left or whatever.” Other students confirm that his goal was to listen to students and to help them find and activate their own voices. I’m happy to read about his success as a football coach in guiding a losing team to winning a state championship, but it’s this quality of active listening and then empowering students through education that is most important to a potential teacher-in-chief.
However, it’s not necessary to have a teaching certificate to be a teacher-in-chief.
Other teaching qualities that all U.S. presidents should demonstrate
I am drawing my ideas for teacher-in-chief from exemplary teaching. Like knowledge itself, excellent teaching evolves over many years. No teacher — and no political leader — is an expert right away. That’s why novice teachers and future presidents must gain relevant experience and draw on that experience to accomplish goals. Some teachers, like some politicians, never learn very much and unfortunately remain rigid and doctrinaire. But I think it’s illuminating to highlight the characteristics of expert teachers — those characteristics that can translate for candidates of any background into valuable presidential achievements.
Expert teachers understand that knowledge evolves.
The scientific method, applicable to all areas of learning, requires the ongoing testing of hypotheses. We are always limited in what we know, and therefore we depend on continuing research. Those who never change their minds about anything are not really educated. For example, during the early days of the pandemic, I remember returning from rare outdoor excursions and washing every stitch of clothing that might be contaminated. We later learned that Covid, while very contagious, spreads mainly through respiratory droplets in the air. So there was no need to run the washing machine after every outing.
Expert teachers take on the challenge of guiding students to make reasonable decisions with inadequate information — because information is always inadequate. Respecting the intelligence of citizens, effective presidents juggle the paradox of clearly communicating policy decisions through inevitable clouds of ambiguity. There is not one right answer to resolving the border crisis or to improving families’ economic lives.
Looking at presidents as educators helped us all become better teachers and more informed voters.
Teachers-in-chief must build on what citizens already know and experience to gain support for what will make things better. Several U.S. presidents have tried to address citizens’ dissatisfaction with healthcare in this nation. Especially when in need of medical assistance, most people would agree that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. And yet national policy failed again and again to find practical ways to extend that right to more citizens. In the 1990s, President Clinton failed on this point. Barack Obama learned from the mistakes of the past and, with great difficulty, managed to establish the Affordable Care Act. Obamacare is far from perfect, and other teachers-in-chief will undoubtedly learn to improve it, meeting real needs pragmatically.
Expert teachers help students to become independent thinkers.
Only truly terrible teachers shout, “Only I have the right answers! Only I can save you!” Instead, effective teachers work hard to empower students to think through problems and seek solutions. As a college professor of first-year writing, I often told my students that I wanted them to write so well that I would inevitably give them an “A” for powerfully defending a position that I personally disagreed with.
As we assess presidential candidates, it’s important to note which ones respect voters enough to listen and learn from their ideas. An evolving perspective on key issues from immigration to economic policy indicates a willingness to learn. Intimidating voters to follow an all-knowing leader should be anathema to a teacher-in-chief.
Expert teachers discourage bullying in the classroom and in the schoolyard.
They are passionately committed to creating a safe environment for all students, strictly forbidding body or gender shaming, evil gossip and isolation. Teachers-in-chief should never shame opponents for personal disabilities or make fun of their names. Need I say more?
Expert teachers help students to commit to the public good, not merely to self-promotion.
They create team spirit in the classroom and on the playing field. They encourage students to excel but also to know when to pass the ball. Similarly, presidents select cabinet members and advisors who have the highest qualifications, but they insist on a strong team spirit. As teacher-in-chief, President Reagan famously said, “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.”
Expert teachers promote and exemplify honesty.
That means honesty that goes beyond avoiding blatant lies. Effective teachers encourage open, self-assessing disclosures designed to get to the heart of the matter in a learning environment. President Biden explained his difficult decision to step aside from a second term by honestly admitting that he had become a distraction from the real issues in the campaign. In his first interview on CBS Sunday Morning, he said that he made his decision, in part, so that the Democratic Party could fully concentrate on the urgent task at hand. As teacher-in-chief, Biden, sitting in the world’s most powerful chair, was willing to admit honestly that he had become a distraction.
Vote for teachers-in-chief.
I recommend listening to news conferences and debates with the above criteria in mind. Early ballots will be available soon. I intend to use these teacherly characteristics as a checklist for my voting decisions. As a thriving democracy, this nation has a great deal to learn together from our leaders and from each other.
Elaine Maimon, Ph.D., is an Advisor at the American Council on Education. She is the author of Leading Academic Change: Vision, Strategy, Transformation. Her long career in higher education has encompassed top executive positions at public universities as well as distinction as a scholar in rhetoric/composition. Her co-authored book, Writing In The Arts and Sciences, has been designated as a landmark text. She is a Distinguished Fellow of the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum. Follow @epmaimon on X.
