Dave Grohl pens powerful essay in support of teachers amid debate on reopening US schools

22 July 2020, 17:17 | Updated: 22 July 2020, 17:34

In Defense of Our Teachers by Dave Grohl

The Foos frontman has written a piece entitled In Defense of Our Teachers which argues that members of the profession should be kept safe amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Dave Grohl has shared an article which argues for schools in the United States to be kept closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Foo Fighters frontman's piece - entitled In Defense of Our Teachers - sees him commend those in the profession, while also sharing his own relationship to education.

To accompany it, the Learn To Fly rocker also shared a nine minute video of himself reading the article, which you can watch above.

Grohl began his piece - which was published by The Atlantic - with the admission of not being terribly studious himself, writing: "I hate to break it to you, but I was a terrible student.

"Each day, I desperately waited for the final bell to ring so that I could be released from the confines of my stuffy, windowless classroom and run home to my guitar."

Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl at Let's Go Crazy The GRAMMY Salute To Prince. Picture: Lester Cohen/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

The 51-year-old rocker went on to talk about his public school teacher mother Virginia, who he referred to as his favourite teacher despite never actually being her student.

"Every kid should be so lucky to have that favorite teacher, the one who changes your life for the better," he declared. "She helped generations of children learn how to learn, and, like most other teachers, exhibited a selfless concern for others. Though I was never her student, she will forever be my favorite teacher."

The Everlong singer continued: "When it comes to the daunting—and ever more politicized—question of reopening schools amid the coronavirus pandemic, the worry for our children’s well-being is paramount. Yet teachers are also confronted with a whole new set of dilemmas that most people would not consider."

He added: "Most schools already struggle from a lack of resources; how could they possibly afford the mountain of safety measures that will need to be in place? And although the average age of a schoolteacher in the United States is in the early 40s, putting them in a lower-risk group, many career teachers, administrators, cafeteria workers, nurses, and janitors are older and at higher risk."

Grohl went on to call out the US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, suggesting that she shouldn't be telling teachers how to teach "without her ever having sat at the head of a class".

Ending his piece on a poignant and powerful note, he concluded: "Teachers want to teach, not die, and we should support and protect them like the national treasures that they are.

"For without them, where would we be? May we show these tireless altruists a little altruism in return. I would for my favorite teacher. Wouldn’t you?"