A public school teacher in Virginia has come under fire for publishing a poem that viciously attacks a student for his support of President Donald Trump. The piece, A Lesson for John, written by Loudoun County educator Sally Toner, was published in a literary journal meant to “inspire” other teachers. Instead, it reads like the bitter rantings of a grown adult who can’t handle a teenager having an independent political opinion.
The poem drips with open hostility from the very first line. “That other teacher said you don’t have a soul,” Toner writes, referring to a student she labels a “cocky self-important little Trumper.”
This is how a high school educator describes a student she’s entrusted with teaching. She continues, seething over the fact that the student participates in class, describing him as “a head taller” than her, as though his height is a personal offense.
And then there’s this gem: “Your mind [is] so tiny in the tiniest room at the end of the tiniest hall in the building.” Imagine the outrage if a conservative teacher had written something similar about a progressive student. But in Toner’s worldview, openly despising a student is justified—so long as the student supports the wrong political figure.
The irony is staggering. She claims to be fostering a “culture of mutual respect” while admitting she calls on the student “as little as possible” and holds her breath when forced to acknowledge him. In other words, she’s proud of ignoring and alienating a student simply because of his personal beliefs.
Then comes the most bizarre attack of all—she takes offense to the student saying thank you. Yes, really. According to Toner, he “stares down the English language learners” and, when they step aside to let him pass, he nods and says, “Thank you.” Instead of recognizing this as basic politeness, she twists it into some kind of sinister act, even condemning him for not speaking to them in their native language—something she presumably never demands of her other students.
Toner also openly admits to showing up to school hung over after Election Day, still reeling from Trump’s victory. She fumes at the student for not reacting, for simply continuing on with his day.
“You don’t say a word,” she complains. “You just hang that head of perfect hair and walk into room 308 after me. And even though your guy has won, for the rest of the year, you will never mention his name again.”
Perhaps because, unlike his teacher, he doesn’t believe his political views entitle him to mistreat others.
