Recently, I was asked to do an emergency coverage for an English class. It wasn’t my classroom, so I had none of my materials, but it was one of my classes, so I naturally wanted to follow what they were doing. Their English teacher had assigned them a lesson on presidential candidates. I assumed they would do research on the four notable presidential candidates (Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Jill Stein, Gary Johnson) and make an informed vote based on their given platforms.

Yet, because I felt the need to provoke, I told my students, “I’m voting for Trump. Convince me otherwise.”

They probably knew I was joking (I hope), but the responses were sharp. This set of English language learners, predominantly from countries that Trump disparages, immediately rattled off reasons I would proffer: he’s racist, sexist, inarticulate, and just a straight up liar. He would seek the removal of their family members and friends from across the country. He’d find ways to break down the country and embarrass anyone who’s left in his wake. They didn’t get to discuss his religious intolerance, lack of respect for social safety nets, or his unmitigated hubris on just about every subject known to us.

But I did give it to the kid who said, “You know what my little sister says? That he’s just a poopyhead!” I conceded defeat right then and there. He’s definitely a poopyhead.

As they scrolled their iPads looking for primary sources and images for their arguments, I couldn’t help but think of all the adults who they’ve entrusted with their brains. How many people who come into contact with our most vulnerable children will cast their vote for Trump, Pence, and everything they stand for? I’ve gotten into plenty of arguments over the merits of each candidate. There are deep flaws that the candidates (and their supporters) would necessarily need to point out to make a valid case for their presidency.

Yet, it’s a peculiar set of folks who truly unnerve me, and they just happen to be voting for Trump.

The idea of educators voting for Donald Trump is not a stretch, either. We have plenty of educators who think that public education is a right only for their descendants. Much ado was made by the rank-and-file of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association about Randi Weingarten and Lily Eskelsen-Garcia’s lightning-quick endorsement of Hillary Clinton. But many of the Trump supporters I know feel disaffected by our major teachers unions, even when they may not be represented by an actual union. They use “government intrusion” and “ObamaCore” for the new wave of standards and the plethora of documents, rubrics, and frameworks that were thrown their way as of late. They see the racial and cultural diversity in their classroom as a disservice, because it means the “others” are getting access to the same resources as their own. They consider non-Christian traditions as America losing its way, and children of color who get in trouble as degenerates who need to take personal responsibility for their failings.

To reiterate, they believe education is a privilege, not a right, for non-white children. They revel in “telling it like it is,” even when the status quo includes treating various people with utter disrespect. They talk about kids who come to school to live off the system, but never look at their own pensions and benefits as a systemic benefit fought for by divergent thinkers and doers. They treat our LGBTQ students as a problem for them and their classroom, yet don’t reflect on their cancerous relationships they have with colleagues who don’t think like them. They leave right at the bell, too, not because of personal matters or union rules, but because they feel like they’ve been casted a bad lot teaching thugs and thuggettes of non-white varieties.

They think Trump might keep them in their classrooms and get rid of the cretins and vagabonds that just don’t want to learn from them. Or else.

This attitude is so pervasive that, to anyone who doesn’t inquire, it’s hard to tell who actually supports Trump given my aforementioned tenets. Indeed, every Trump supporter I’ve encountered embraces all that comes with his candidacy, but not every racist / sexist / classist is a Trump supporter. Our students these days seem more ready to confront these systemic issues in a way adults won’t. Our students are both powerful and disenfranchised. When given the option to hear students’ opinions, too many adults find ways to cut their voices by the roots.