With the death of President Carter, we mourn the passing of a praiseworthy life. As this sad occasion unfolded, and heartfelt tributes poured in, it also became a celebration of Carter’s essential goodness and how integrity, morality and selfless service can, and should, inform a portrait of true leadership.

Following the Nixon years, Carter pledged, “I will never lie to the American people.” He kept that pledge. He served with honesty, he was his brothers’ keeper, a peacemaker, a leader who lived his faith-based values.

At Carter’s memorial service, attending former presidents may have reflected upon what might be their leadership legacies. One might wonder if it registered with Trump that no such accolades will ever be spoken of him.

One might reflect that Trump also lives his values, even as they promote a corrosive standard of leadership. He has elevated the act of lying to the American people to a cynical art form. His hateful and demeaning rhetoric has no bounds.

As a lifelong educator, I find it profoundly tragic that our nation’s electorate has chosen to shamefully elevate Trump to governance once again — informed by vulgarity, cruelty and selfishness. This should not stand as an acceptable exemplar of leadership for our students. The contrast between what we have lost and what is on our four-year political horizon could not be starker.

Which leadership model would we desire our students and future leaders to emulate? The stakes for our collective future could not be higher.

Neal Guyer
Thomaston