Respect

For thirty years I taught children aged seven, eight or nine. I loved it. And from the very first day I walked into the classroom my number one goal was that child's self-esteem. I wanted to boost them, to make them feel comfortable in my classroom and in school. I wanted to give them the confidence to speak up without being reprimanded, to know they could achieve success however big or small. I always felt education was so important and I was building the foundation for each of them that school was a safe place.

A few years later my second goal was to build community. I wanted my class to work as a unit, supporting each other. I wanted each student to treat another with respect. Looks, intellect, economic status, what you wore, none of that should detract from respect.

And some time in the 1990s, I believe, sexual harassment in the work place became an important topic. My husband had seminars at his corporation. I had the same in our school.

Then came bullying. The teaching staff was given a list of what constituted bullying and it grew more definitive each year. The counselors taught the students how to handle bullying. I reinforced it.

Our country was concerned, just as I was in my classroom, about respect. About community. About caring.

And what I find so appalling and troubling is that we currently have a man sitting in the White House who does not respect women or humans or beings. No matter your party affiliation it is quite evident by his tweets and what he says publicly.

I found it just as appalling when he was a candidate and naively I thought voters would recognize the man he is. They did not. Then continuing my own ignorance I thought he would stop such vulgarity once he won and entered office. He did not.

I hope that every American, every Congressman, every Senator and every person on social media, both in the US and globally protests his inappropriate use of his office.

No one deserves this kind of exposure to selfish, immature behavior.