Meet Ms. Cahill
I’m Tierney Cahill, a Reno public school teacher who ran for the U.S. Congress in 2000 after my sixth grade students dared me. There were lots of reasons not to. As a single mother of three, I was barely making it on my teacher’s salary and the two other jobs I worked to supplement that income. But I didn’t want to be just another hypocritical adult who expected children to step up to face their challenges but who didn’t do the same when faced with their own. Besides, what better way to teach about our government than to have them actually run a campaign?
Much to my surprise, my bid for a seat in the House of Representatives drew national and international attention. The New York Times reported that “though the beloved teacher-turned-political hopeful would eventually lose her bid to an incumbent, Cahill shocked both her district and her loyal supporters by taking home 30 percent of the popular vote.” That drew even more public notice.
These days, I teach English and social studies to middle- and high-school students. I also tutor struggling students on my own time and coach middle school basketball and varsity softball. Formerly Washoe County School District’s Multicultural Representative, I’ve served as an elected local, state and national teachers’ union representative. And who knows, maybe someday I’ll seek public office again. In the meantime, I focus on my classroom. So I’m proud to say that in 2000, nominated by my students’ parents, I was awarded the Best in Education Award from the Reno Gazette, as well as the Women’s Role Model Award from Nevada’s Attorney General.
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