US vice presidential pick Tim Walz was once my high school teacher

Last week, I found myself engrossed in hours of viral videos featuring Tim Walz. Like countless others, I was captivated by his message and plain-spoken communication style. But unlike the millions hearing him speak for the first time, I had experienced this before –two decades ago at Mankato West High School in Minnesota.

Back then, he was my teacher. But the man US Vice President Kamala Harris named as her running mate on Tuesday has not changed one bit.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, at a campaign rally on Tuesday.Credit: AP

Walz and I lived in Mankato, a plain, suburban town of 50,000 people surrounded by corn fields. Our district is home to one of the best hospitals in the world, the Mayo Clinic, and the Jolly Green Giant canned vegetable company. The next city over produces the world’s supply of Spam.

Until our district voted for Donald Trump by 10 points in 2022, I had never been sure if my home town was conservative or progressive; it was the kind of place where it was considered rude to talk about politics or religion with strangers.

Mr Walz, as we knew him, was everyone’s favourite teacher. He was a “cool teacher”, but not young or trendy enough to be the coolest teacher. He was professional, but also a human.

Credit: Matt Golding

As a 15-year-old girl in 2004, I walked into his classroom among 30 other students, sceptical about how geography, history and social studies would help me. But he encouraged us to listen and ask questions.

One of his favourite tasks was to have us read the same news story from three different newspapers each week. He would ask us things like: “What is the historical context of this story? How does each newspaper frame this story differently, and why do you think that is?”

Instead of talking at us, his classes were always a reflective conversation. His engaging style persuaded me to become a better citizen, and even now, as a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne, his teaching still challenges me to think and learn in everything I do.

His wife, Gwen, was also an English teacher in the same school. Watching him now, after 18 years in the tough and often inauthentic world of politics, I am in awe at how he is still the same person.

In 2006, he ran a grassroots campaign to become our district’s congressman with volunteers who included many former students and some of my friends. He beat a Republican incumbent millionaire. After he was elected, I was shocked. Here he was, on a teacher’s salary of probably $US40,000, beating one of the handful of millionaires in our area. Surely, this would be the peak of his political career. But then I watched on again as he became the governor of Minnesota, and now the Democrats’ VP candidate. He beat the odds then, and now he is doing it again.

As governor of Minnesota, Walz championed a law providing free breakfasts and lunches to students, understanding the fundamental role of education and nourishment in a child’s life.

During his visit to Australia last November, he highlighted the shared challenge of affordable housing between our nations, using a simple yet profound litmus test: whether a public school teacher could afford a house.

And 20 years on from my days in his classroom, I can see that he continues to captivate audiences, even if they are substantially bigger. His teaching experience has honed his ability to engage with the disconnected and disaffected, a crucial skill in today’s polarised political climate.

He says issues like climate change can feel too overwhelming, and that is why people disengage. In true teacher style, he argues we need to break the issues down into something more achievable for people. His knack for simplifying something complex and making it relatable is a testament to his background and the fresh perspective it brings to politics.

While 26 former presidents have been lawyers (Walz is the first Democratic VP candidate since 1964 who did not attend law school), only five have taught at universities. Rarely has a high school teacher come so close to the Oval Office.

In a political landscape dominated by career politicians and lawyers, Walz’s candidacy offers a refreshing change. His years as a high school teacher bring a perspective to the table that emphasises engagement, critical thinking, and a deep understanding of societal challenges.

I feel so proud to see my high school teacher rise in political leadership. The person who taught me about US presidents in history class now has the chance to become a US vice president.

Kayley Lyons is a senior lecturer in the Centre for Digital Transformation of Health at the University of Melbourne.

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