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Teacher's Tips: A safe space for Constitutional rights Paul Huard Tuesday Nov 22, 2016 at 2:00 AM By Paul Huard As I write this month’s column, I am aware of what I don’t want to do. In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, the last thing I want to write is another post mortem, another exercise in hand-wringing, or another attempt to explain why voters made the choices they did. So, my direct political commentary will, hopefully, be just enough to provide context: Our bitterly divided nation needed the second coming of Abraham Lincoln or John F. Kennedy. Instead, we got Donald J. Trump. In the classes I teach, student emotions ranged from stunned surprise to genuine fear. Fear — that’s something I’ve never seen expressed by my students in the aftermath of a presidential election. What I try to do in this column is give parents and community members some idea of how they can help the school children in their lives. But these days I ask myself what else I can do to help my students after the most wearying, controversial, and divisive national election of my lifetime. My soul-searching produced two answers. I must have hope. I must take a stand. The people of the United States have endured much during our history. Ultimately, many of them found their security in the promises found in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It wasn’t easy to secure those promises — just look at the stories of the Americans who fought entrenched power and privilege in order to secure their civil rights. There were casualties, many of them, all too often. But somehow, some way, we changed for the better. It can happen again. It will take some tough slogging, but it can happen again. Besides, the presidency has a way of maturing those enter that high office. Maybe, just maybe, Trump will grow up and understand that he is president of an entire nation, not just those who cast a vote for him. But if he doesn’t, my classroom will always be sanctuary for the students who come there. My classroom is dedicated to the promises found in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. I will defend my student’s civil rights. I will not allow local, state, or federal officials to directly deprive my students of their rights in my classroom. What does that look like? Well, it will mean more than wearing a safety pin. Teachers do more than teach. We protect students to the best of our ability from real threats to their safety and their education. I intend on taking my responsibilities very seriously. I did so before the Election of 2016. I will re-double my efforts during these uncertain times. This is my pledge to my students and this community. A former reporter who covered politics and government for newspapers in California and Oregon, Paul R. Huard teaches social studies and English courses at Ashland High School. The opinions he expresses are his own.