By Ben Velderman
EAGnews.org

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A handful of Ohio teachers have decided that using their classrooms to promote left-wing causes to the next generation of voters is an inefficient way of advancing their political agenda.

MORE NEWS: From Classroom to Consulate Chef: Culinary Student Lands Dream Job at U.S. Embassy in Paris

The strategy takes too much time and yields unpredictable results. Instead, a dozen Ohio educators are hoping to take the union fight directly to the frontlines of the state legislature.

Georgia Public Broadcasting reports that the 12 teachers, all of them Democrats, “are running for seats in Ohio’s House and Senate,” adding that “the surge is a byproduct of last year’s fight over Senate Bill 5, the state law that would have curbed public employees’ collective bargaining rights.”

Clearly, any teacher who’s willing to quit a secure job for the tumultuous world of elected politics is a left-wing ideologue. But of course, that’s not how these candidates are branding themselves.

Special education instructor Donna O’Connor, for instance, has made “I’m a teacher, not a politician” a central part of her campaign.

“Teachers are exactly what we need down at the statehouse, because they’ve had many years of managing unruly and immature objects and students in their classroom,” O’Connor told GPB.org.

We admit that’s a good line, and it might play well with voters.

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

O’Connor understands that her “teacher card” is a valuable political weapon, and it is used early and often on her campaign website.

“I’m a Special Education teacher at Dublin Coffman High School, I love the kids that I teach and I never dreamed I’d leave the job I love for politics,” O’Connor writes on her site.

She continues: “I look forward to the opportunity to serve you as I have served hundreds of students, with passion and dedication. I need your support to continue our fight inside the Statehouse for the future of public education, for economic opportunities for our middle class and for equal opportunities for my children and yours.”

The other candidates are doubtlessly delivering a similar sales pitch.

We admit that Democrats may have hit on a very successful electoral ploy: Recruit hardline leftists out of the classroom and package them as harmless public servants who want to bring commonsense solutions to the state capital.

It’s an intriguing strategy. After all, what Republican “politician” would dare question the motives of an opponent who is also a well-loved teacher? That’d be tricky business, indeed.

If this masquerade pays off for the Democrats, Ohio’s legislature may soon be marching in lockstep with the state’s teachers unions.