Kaine’s Salute to Service stops in Spotsylvania to speak to teachers

Sen. Tim Kaine stopped in Spotsylvania Wednesday morning to speak with educators from across the region as part of his Salute to Service tour.

The Democratic senator’s tour marks 30 years since he was first sworn in to the Richmond City Council. Kaine said the forums are about celebrating public service. He will face Republican candidate Hung Cao in November for a third term in Congress.

At the forum, held at the Snow Branch of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library, Kaine, joined by his wife Anne Holton, addressed a room of teachers and Spotsylvania School Board members Belen Rodas (Chancellor District) and Carol Medawar (Courtland District).

The discussion focused on teacher recruitment and retention, as well as the lack of respect shown to them by parents, students and the public.

Matthew Lentz, a German teacher at Colonial Forge High School in Stafford, says retention is particularly difficult because of the way teachers are treated.

“It doesn’t really motivate people to go into teaching,” Lentz said. “We get criticized for everything, the pay is horrible, the hours are long, and we get dragged through the mud. At the beginning of the pandemic, we were heroes. People expect us to keep going the extra mile because we care so much about kids.”

Kim Carryer, a biology teacher at Riverbend High School in Spotsylvania County, says the biggest retention problem is untrustworthy teachers.

“We’re not trusted professionals,” she said. “We’re professionals, we’ve been trained, we get recertified, we do everything that every other professional has to do to continue their training. But generally, the public’s view is that we’re somehow less of a professional than just a doctor, an accountant, etc.”

Carrier said he’s seen young teachers work only a few years and then leave the profession. And the effects are being felt by children in the classroom, too.

“When people see us being treated this way, students notice,” she said. “They then see us as less professional than their parents. I’ve heard them say, ‘My parents say you’re just a teacher.’”

Holton, a former Virginia education secretary and daughter of a former governor, currently serves on the state board of education. Before introducing her husband, Holton explained that she is a big supporter of public education and has been since she helped integrate Virginia schools as a child.

” O“One of the lessons I learned from this experience is the importance of public education to democracy,” she said. “I try to advocate for teachers because, beyond family factors, research shows that the most important factor in our students’ success is having a quality teacher in every classroom.”

Kaine says part of the teacher shortage is a lack of affordable child care. “We get complaints about this. We get a lot of employers saying they can’t hire enough people. They need to hire more. And then there are a million workers in the country who are sitting on the sidelines and really want to be in the workforce. But if they can’t find affordable, quality child care, they can’t be in the workforce.”

The group concluded the conversation by sharing examples of success in public education.

“I think one of the best things I’ve really appreciated about my students lately is that they really embrace diversity,” Carrierer said. “I don’t think they’re going to get caught up in some of the things that our generation has gotten caught up in.”

“They support each other and don’t care what you look like, what race you are, what gender you are, or what sexual orientation you are. They just want to succeed. Most of them are really good people.”