If you have a child in public school (and why do you?), would you be pleased with a teacher who promotes a political candidate before your child and his or her classmates?

As the Washington Times reported last week, an email distributed by a Virginia teachers union encouraged members to bring politics into the classroom by wearing blue in support of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. At the same time, the union suggested that its voter registration efforts include “those you teach.”

The VEA has drawn strong criticism from elected Republican officials and some residents after the state Republican party obtained a copy. The author of the email conceded that it should have been worded differently. How about not doing it at all?

Students should be taught how to think, not what to think. This is crass political exploitation of a captive audience and I would oppose it no matter which candidate the teachers union supported.

Need another reason to pull your kids out of government schools?

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.