The country is taking a crash course to get to know Tim Walz. You may be learning about his record as governor of Minnesota in his second term. Maybe you recall his 12 years as a Democratic congressman representing a conservative district where he was ranked the 88th most bipartisan congressman and focused on veterans’ and farmers’ issues. Maybe you’re learning about his 24-year service to our country in the National Guard.
I’ve known Gov. Walz as Mr. Walz. I was fortunate to have Mr. Walz as my global geography teacher at Mankato West High School in 2005. I also have the distinction of being the last class Mr. Walz taught before switching careers and going to Washington, D.C.
Teachers and coaches play a significant role in our lives, and a great teacher can change the lives of students and athletes.
For those not familiar with Mankato, it’s a small farming community in southern Minnesota nestled in a river valley about 90 miles from St. Paul and Minneapolis. It’s also about 60 miles north of Iowa. We are known for being the soybean-crushing capital of the world, as well as for our stone products.
Teachers and coaches play a significant role in our lives, and a great teacher can change the lives of students and athletes. Think of your favorite teacher or coach. What traits did they have? Likely they inspired you; they made you feel hope that tomorrow will be better than today, are invested in their students’ future, teach us how to overcome obstacles, help us see the potential within ourselves, and ultimately inspire us to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be. These are the traits that Mr. Walz embodies.
Mr. Walz is the kind of person who brings joy to everything he does. The smiles and energy you see on the campaign trail are as real now as they were over 20 years ago in a high school classroom. Mr. Walz’s enthusiasm is contagious, making it hard not to pay attention when he speaks. He is kind, genuine and authentic — qualities that not only make him an excellent teacher but are also much needed in politics.
I wasn’t a top student in high school, but Mr. Walz treated me with the same dedication and effort he gave to my more successful classmates. This commitment inspired me.
Mr. Walz also got us thinking about the world at large. We actively discussed issues such as the genocide in Cambodia and the Holocaust, and how Muslim women were treated in France after the government banned religious symbols from public schools in 2004.
Once a week, Gov. Walz offered an extra credit assignment. Students would have to come prepared to discuss a recent news event for 30 to 60 seconds, and you couldn’t repeat a story another classmate had already used. This exercise made us realize just how big the world really is; suddenly the world moved beyond the walls of my Mankato classroom. Mr. Walz’s approach to the classroom made you want to be actively a part of the broader world.
Mr. Walz made politics feel accessible.
Almost a decade after graduating from Mankato West High School. I ran for a Duluth City Council seat, won and served six years. This is partly due to Mr. Walz; his service to our country through the National Guard and Congress, but also his dedication to my local community as a teacher and a high school football coach.
Mr. Walz made politics feel accessible. He made me believe that someone who doesn’t come from family money, isn’t Ivy League-educated and isn’t a lawyer, can still run for office, win and make a positive impact on your community and country.
It’s not every day that your favorite high school teacher has the chance to be the next vice president of the United States; you would have to go back over 50 years to Lyndon Johnson.
I am incredibly proud of Mr. Walz, all he has accomplished, and how he has gone about accomplishing it: by being joyful, authentic, caring and genuine in all that he does.