Jill Biden, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, has announced that she will remain employed full-time as an English professor if her husband wins the election.
As an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College, Biden’s lectures cover everything from reading analysis to essay composition. Professor Biden is a lifelong advocate for education and literacy, even before her time at Northern Virginia began.
In 2007, she helped found Book Buddies, a nonprofit dedicated to providing books to lower income families. She has also written three books: an autobiography, a children’s book about the United States military, and a children’s book about her husband’s childhood. Biden’s passion for learning and teaching will continue to flourish, even if she becomes the First Lady.
Remaining a professor while she’s First Lady would make Professor Biden the second First Lady to hold a career in education; Abigail Fillmore, who began teaching in 1814, was the first educator to become First Lady of the United States. Jill Biden’s determination to continue teaching if her husband becomes President provides women across the nation an example of determination and passion for one’s work. However, not everyone would agree with her decision.
In an interview with the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, former First Lady Laura Bush stated that First Ladies should not be paid a salary while their spouse is in office, but that the male spouse of a President could earn a salary. “I think that’s really the question we should ask. Should she have a career during those years that her husband is President?” Bush said.
Regardless of Bush’s objection to First Ladies earning a salary, students in particular find Biden’s commitment to her career inspiring. Stephanie Martin, a senior secondary education major, believes that Biden’s dedication and passion for teaching would be a stepping stone for modern feminists.
“I do think it would be inspiring.” Martin said. “It would be a feminist action that demonstrates to women of all ages that their lives don’t have to be centered around their partners’ career choices.”
When asked if Professor Biden should resign if her husband is inaugurated, Martin said, “I don’t think she needs to quit. I think it’s more unreasonable to expect her to quit her career because of her husband’s political career.”
Professor Biden’s role in the classroom would undoubtedly shift from strictly an educator to a political role model. Her stance as a literacy advocate could encourage other political parties to promote equity in education, resulting in proper resources and funding for low-income schools.
Jordan Foster, a junior psychology major and strong advocate for women’s rights, also supports Biden’s decision to continue her career. “I think that she is going to continue her teaching at the same time as she tackles being a First Lady is an inspiration to young girls everywhere. Just because her husband has a great job doesn’t necessarily mean she has to end hers to support his endeavors.”
“I think that we have to teach our young women that they can do anything and that they don’t have to pick and choose based on other people’s positions.” Foster said.
Encouraging Professor Biden to end her career in order to support her husband would put feminism back by fifty years. While it is a respectable choice for women to put their families before their career, it is no longer expected or required. Professor Biden’s decision to have both a career and a family encourages young women to put their own needs before society’s expectations. Lydia Hammond, a junior education major, concurred with the other interviewees.
“I think it’s great that she plans to continue teaching! The best teachers are the ones who love to teach. The fact that she would still want to do so while being the First Lady shows that she’s a passionate teacher.” Hammond said.
When asked about how Senator Biden’s potential election might impact his wife’s career, Hammond said that Professor Biden’s career as an educator and her role as a supportive wife do not have to be mutually exclusive.
“I applaud her for not letting her husband’s dream take away from her own career, despite the struggles she would surely endure taking on both positions. I think having someone in the White House who values education would be a great change for America,” Hammond said.
Whether or not Biden would continue teaching at Northern Virginia has not been made public, but one thing is certain: Jill Biden is passionate about her work. and doesn’t see an end to it in the near future. Even as First Lady, it is garanteed that Biden would find a way to advocate for literacy and education from her new platform.
Her love for inspiring and educating the next generation can best be summarized with a statement she shared last week on social media: “Teaching is not what I do. It is who I am.”
Graphic by Lizzy Talbert
