An interesting perspective from a high school teacher on a story I’d like to move past politically.
From Kevin Levin:
I started my classes today with some discussion about John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin for the V.P. slot. My students were eager to comment, not so much on her position regarding the choice issues of the day, but on the political calculations that went into the choice. What I was most surprised by, however, was the number of female students who were visibly upset about Palin’s decision to run, given that she has a pregnant 17 yr. old at home. I am assuming that the parents were made aware of the pregnancy before her decision to commit to the McCain campaign. The criticism came down to the question or confusion over how a mother could place her daughter in the national spotlight at such a critical time in her life. I said very little, but at one point I attempted to play devil’s advocate and assume that the family spent some long hours discussing the implications of a presidential campaign and arriving at some sense that this would be of some benefit to all parties involved – or at least that it wouldn’t do significant harm. I even read a bit from a public statement issued by the McCain camp in which Sarah Palin assures the public that her daughters interests are paramount. The girls would have none of it. Some suggested that the mother’s first priority must be to protect her children and that it is difficult to accept this decision as stemming from such a motivation. The students pressured me to share my own views on the matter, but this is one of those moments where I refrain.For me it was one of those moments where political punditry stopped and the very real and unfiltered perspective of this young girl’s peers could shoot through articulately and in a way which reflected genuine empathy and understanding.
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