I’m proud to have voted for the next president of the United States, Barak Obama, in this historic election.  I’m proud of America in this moment and I loved Obama’s acceptance speech.  We have a president who can speak.  I’m happy to start healing some international alliances and the hope of a centrist with an ability to bring people together.  And may I also say I love John King.  He’s this somewhat quiet man who under extraordinary pressure can hold the country in his technologically powerful hands and call a race with so much restraint.  I love that kind of thinking.  Restraint, thoughtfullness, open-mindedness, calmness, coolness, but electricity.  That’s what I love about Obama–not everything he thinks or does, but his demeaner and brilliance.  We listened to him and we were moved.  “Yes we can.”

I’ve watched all 3 presidential debates, the vp debate, most of the democratic primaries debates and a lot of the republican primaries debates.  I know a lot of people dismiss it all and say that politicians are all bad.  I would say that although there are negative things about both candidates, they are both good men–although very different.  I think it now comes down to where your ideology falls.  I definitely have made up my mind but that’s not what I want to talk about tonight having just finished the 3rd debate.

What I want to talk about is the thing that has drawn me to the debates over and over.  I watch men and women speak very calmly and cooly about issues that they are diametrically opposed to.  They disagree but are able to keep their emotions in check and disagree with words.  No one is grabbing a sword or taking their secret service to take out the other one.  This is what’s beautiful about America.  We may not like the negative speak, but we must like the ability to see two views freely expressed.  That’s the miracle of the United States’ democratic system.

And for me, a teacher, I stand up in front of 160 teenagers every week.  They have taught me a lot.  Every year as I grow more calm and confident in what I’m doing, they respond.  When I take the lead, when I show my passion for the subject with constraint and love–these are the times when they are with me.  When I’m not always in charge, when I let them have as much control as possible in the classroom, when I concede my point, when I give them the benefit of the doubt, when I believe in them.  I guess what I’m saying is that I love watching the debates because I think there are a lot of lessons for me as a teacher–calmness, passion with control and thoughtfulness, letting other people win, believing, being secure in where you are and what you do, not being afraid of people who do not like you.  I am inspired to be a better person.  I love what I’m doing and I love what I’m learning from the candidates for president.

I think instead of criticizing these men as being bad, we should take their lead and say, whether or not we agree with them, we should respect them for their service and their calmness and coolness in the face of a lot of opposition.