11/2: A note to America's teachers

Today, at the start of the week in one of the most contentious U.S. elections in our lifetimes, I asked Code.org to email this note to every U.S.-based teacher on Code.org:

Subject: Moving forward together

I’d like to share a message with hundreds of thousands of US-based teachers on Code.org, because your work as educators is more important now than ever. 

This election season, many of us have been glued to our screens, watching the news, and worried about the future. As we are inundated with polarizing rhetoric, this message is about what few of us are prepared for: what comes after the election.

No matter what happens tomorrow, we have a tough road ahead. Amidst a global pandemic, a recession, and nationwide protests, our country feels more divided than ever. 

After tomorrow and the weeks that follow, we will face a challenge many of us haven’t fully internalized: to heal together; to bring our country back together. 

As teachers, you have a unique role in this. Your voice reaches into almost every household, and at a time when trust in government and the news is at an all-time low, your message can bring Americans together.

The love you show for all your students, regardless of race or politics, is the example we all need. Your students will all benefit from a reminder about what makes America so special:  our shared belief in equality, liberty, justice, and democracy. 

Equality of opportunity is a value that unites Americans, even when we don’t agree about how to get there. And if there’s a group that’s most dedicated to equality of opportunity, it’s educators. Your students are our future.

My father is my hero and a lifelong educator. He taught me that teachers are a fundamental pillar of stability in times of change. Whether you teach your students to read and write, to add and subtract, or to code, yours is the most important job in the world. 

Our children are in your hands. I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for helping build a future where people are more connected, not more divided.

Hadi Partovi, Code.org