Luján is champion New Mexico kids need

Teaching a future senator is one reason that public education inspires me. When you’ve been in the classroom as long as I have, you know each year will be a little different. But the 2020 school year is in a league of its own: Kids have had to overcome challenges like distance learning in an area that struggles with unreliable or nonexistent internet access and missing out on the hands-on aspects of teaching. It’s clear New Mexico’s students are facing bigger obstacles than ever before.

I oversee the Writing Center at the Santa Fe Indian School and teach student mentors to help other students find meaning on paper. The Santa Fe Indian School draws students from New Mexico’s 19 pueblos, its Apache tribes, the Navajo Nation and Indigenous communities across the nation. Since the coronavirus pandemic began, we’ve gotten creative with our teaching — mailing interdisciplinary packets home, encouraging students to text us photos of their finished assignments, and frequently talking to students and their parents on the phone. It’s not a perfect system, but it meets the needs of our students and makes us better teachers.

This is a tough time for our community, but I’ve been fortunate to see firsthand just how talented, resilient and determined New Mexico’s kids are. With the right support, their possibilities and paths to success are endless. To fully support kids, we must have leaders in Washington who believe in them, who will step up to do the right thing and support the policies that matter for our kids.

That’s why I’m supporting Ben Ray Luján to be New Mexico’s next senator. It’s also why I joined Educators for Ben. We’re a community of educators who know Luján is the champion New Mexico needs in the Senate.

Not only have I seen the way Luján has fought for our kids in the House, but I know personally that he has the heart for the job. I met Luján many years ago when he was a student in my English class at Pojoaque Valley High School. Even then, I saw his strong character, and I trust him to fight for us.

Since he was young, Luján has possessed the kind of self-awareness and humility that every leader needs. He has always been willing to surround himself with smart people, listen to experts — even when their opinions differ from his — and come to the right conclusions. I think that’s truly the mark of an intelligent person — someone who’s willing to listen.

I know Luján will advocate for policies in the Senate that make a difference and improve our kids’ opportunities, help close the digital divide and make sure every New Mexican child has what they need to learn and thrive.

In the House, Luján already has proved he’s up for the job. He has worked tirelessly to expand Wi-Fi services to buses, allocate more than $34 million to update and expand rural schools in New Mexico, and make sure students have safe spaces in libraries to explore and learn.

Now more than ever, New Mexico families need proven leaders who understand the challenges we face and how to do something about it.

I’ve spent most of my career teaching in Title I schools, where most students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Despite their circumstances, these kids have unlimited potential — but they can only realize their dreams if our leaders invest in their future.

Luján’s record in Congress shows he’s going to roll up his sleeves and help build broader and brighter horizons for New Mexico’s kids.

I’m proud to support Ben Ray Luján for Senate — and I hope you’ll join me.

Susan Miera has been teaching for 46 years. She oversees a student-run writing center at Santa Fe Indian School, where she mentors students from across New Mexico’s 19 pueblos, Apache tribes and the Navajo Nation. Before joining the teaching staff at SFIS, she worked in a bilingual classroom at a Title I school in Taos and taught English at Pojoaque Valley High School.