“Teaching is not what I do. It’s who I am,” Biden said in a tweet.
When Jill Biden addresses the nation during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night, the former second lady will be speaking from a sentimental spot in Delaware: Brandywine High School, where she taught English from 1991 to 1993.
Biden is slated to give the keynote address Tuesday, after her husband, former Vice President Joe Biden, is formally nominated to represent the Democratic Party during a roll call vote of delegates. She will do so from room 232 — her former classroom, according to the Biden campaign.
“Teaching is not what I do. It’s who I am,” Biden said in a tweet Tuesday morning, posting yearbook photos of herself during her tenure at Brandywine.
Biden’s appearance during the DNC will largely focus on education, a critical issue to the educator who has taught for more than 30 years — including during her service as second lady.
“Jill told me that she would like to continue teaching at community college, and I said, ‘That’s insane. You cannot possibly do that,'” Cathy Russell, her former chief of staff recalls in a video highlighting her career that’s set to air ahead of Biden’s remarks Tuesday.
“I never saw her on any day of the week where she wasn’t carrying a huge stack of papers to grade,” Russell continues.
Biden says that she never doubted she could do both jobs, and that it was the students that kept her in the classroom.
“These were students who wanted to be in your classroom. And I saw their tenacity and they were taking care of children just like I had done,” Dr. Biden says of her decision to teach.
“She gave 100% from her energy to the students. She’s a great teacher,” Yvette Lewis, a former student of Biden’s recalls in the video.
The video also features a testimonial from the former vice president, echoing the sentiment his wife tweeted Tuesday.
“Teaching is not what Jill does — it’s who she is. Jill just simply cares,” Biden said of his wife.
Jill Biden has been a staple surrogate for her husband’s campaign throughout his third presidential bid, continuing to take part in virtual campaign events as COVID-19 has moved the 2020 campaign to a mainly virtual platform.
In spite of the busy campaign schedule, she hasn’t ruled out a dual role as teacher and first lady if her husband is elected in November.
“I would love to. If we get to the White House, I’m going to continue to teach,” Biden said during a CBS Sunday morning interview. “And I want people to value teachers and know their contributions and to lift up the profession.”
