Student protests show they are paying attention

Published 1:30 am Friday, February 13, 2026

Teachers often look for authentic audiences and real world connections to our classrooms. Recent student protest walkouts prove our students have been paying attention. Young people saw an opportunity to take action on an issue they care about through peaceful civil disobedience.

I used personal leave to join a Lake Stevens High School anti-ICE protest last week and was inspired by students’ leadership, collaboration, creativity, and courage. Signs and conversations showed that students had researched the issue and saw its disturbing connections to history. Students kept each other safe, shared snacks, picked up trash and yelled joyously in the face of injustice

Despite immature choices from a few students, obscene gestures from a few passersby and some inaccurate social media posts, the legacy of this walkout is hope. I echo a recent letter expressing pride in our students. They learned in elementary school how to safely stand up to bullies. They learned in middle school how to craft a message for a target audience. They learned in high school about the importance of the Constitution. Now, in the spirit of Henry David Thoreau and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., our students are becoming independent thinkers and advocates. They are ready for life in America.

Kelly Guilfoil

Snohomish