A little over a year ago, while watching the news, I heard the audio clip in which the man who would become President of these United States made light of sexual assault. I listened to that man dismiss that kind of behavior as locker room talk, as something that doesn’t need to be corrected. This was really only the latest and most outrageous in a series of childish, disrespectful or downright hateful behaviors displayed by Donald J. Trump in his quest for the Presidency.

For those who were appalled by his behavior, I think many of us were concerned about what it might mean for our country. Would the rest of the world think that America is now represented by his actions?

I wondered the same thing, among many others, but it’s not the perception of the world that worries me most. In fact, I am most concerned with a domestic impact that our 45^th President may be having – that is, the influence he has on American youth.

Encouraging violence against those with whom we disagree. Mocking individuals’ disabilities if they make us mad. Using social media to bully those with whom we disagree. Name calling others when they point out our flaws. Speaking with heavily misogynistic overtones. Bragging about (and subsequently being accused by multiple women of) sexual assault and facing no consequence. These behaviors aren’t allowed of our high school students, middle school students, or elementary students, and in fact are representative of those very behaviors we work so hard in education to discourage.

When Donald Trump was running for President, let alone after he was elected, the educator in me (I did my student teaching after the election) was highly concerned that he would become the excuse for misbehavior.

Imagine the mixed message it sends students when we tell them that they should not use violence to solve problems, but they can contend that the President said it’s a good way to solve the problem. Imagine – I can’t even legitimately put myself in these shoes – how it might feel to a female student to hear that the President said “Grab them by the p****” when talking about his sexual “prowess.” I struggle to begin to comprehend the fear that some people might have, because we elected a man who was shown to have spoken proudly about sexual assault our President.

For that matter, what message does it send to a young male when a man who has been accused by over 10 women of sexual assault, who was caught on audio recording bragging about sexual assault, can democratically ascend to the most powerful position in the world even while that information has all been made public?

I’ve talked to various educators about how they would handle this situation. In many ways it is unprecedented, and it is certainly difficult. With our charge to be politically unbiased in our work, it creates a significant dilemma – these situations involve issues that are moral and behavioral, but Trump’s current position has charged each misbehavior with a new political overtone. Suddenly, we see high ranking individuals standing up to defend those behaviors we hope our students will always avoid.

My personal philosophy as an educator is that sometimes, these issues need to be addressed head-on. Whether or not Donald Trump is the President, I will advocate for the safety of students, and I will continue to try and teach them the morals we universally have agreed on as a society. I just personally find it to be a sad state of affairs when a student can respond to breaking serious rules by saying, “But the President said it was okay!”