Meet the high school AP government teacher who influenced student activists — and he’s a Republican

“Marjory Stoneman Douglas AP government teacher Jeff Foster has taught Emma Gonzalez, Delaney Tarr, and David Hogg,” as NBC News is reporting in a segment titled “Teaching After Tragedy: The Parkland Teacher Who Sowed The Seeds of A Movement.” “His key lesson, the one that they have carried forth over the last six weeks, is simple and powerful: if you don’t participate, you can’t complain. It’s a lesson that was on full display this weekend, as the Parkland movement swept over the country in the March for our Lives.”

An excerpt: “I’m a card-carrying Republican that’s upset with the law too. We just want to make sure that there isn’t another mass shooting in a school, at a concert, in a mall. How hard is that to get behind?” — AP government teacher Jeff Foster

Author: jeffpelline

Jeff Pelline is a veteran editor and award-winning journalist - in print and online. He is publisher of Sierra FoodWineArt magazine and its website SierraCulture.com. Jeff covered business and technology for The San Francisco Chronicle for 12 years, and he was a founding editor and Editor of CNET News for eight years, among other positions. Jeff has a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley and a master's from Northwestern University. His hobbies include sailing, swimming, and trout fishing in the Sierra. View all posts by jeffpelline