像今年秋天的许多教育家一样，吉尔·拜登周二回到北弗吉尼亚社区学院的教室第一任总统配偶一边做全职工作，一边履行第一夫人的职责。
她也是第一位在丈夫担任副总统期间继续全职工作的第二夫人。
根据该学院的课程目录，拜登本学期将教授学术写作入门课程的两个部分，其中一个部分完全是面对面的，另一个部分是面对面和在线学习的混合模式。
在整个大流行期间，拜登一直倡导恢复面对面教学的重要性，为美国广播公司的《早安美国》撰稿、”“我知道教室远不止是我们孩子学习数学和阅读的地方。"
伊丽莎白·纳塔莱是第一夫人研究和教育协会的创始成员和董事会成员，该组织致力于促进和宣传第一夫人的贡献。
她说，拜登作为第一夫人和教授的双重职业不仅具有历史意义，而且更准确地反映了美国女性的现实，这一现实既体现了职业女性的身份，也体现了家庭的身份。
她说:“我认为吉尔·拜登非常有目的地直言不讳地谈论她的头衔、她的职业精神、她的工作，以此来激励美国女性和成长中的女孩，并成为她们的榜样。
美国大学研究第一夫人对政治、政策和公共外交影响的第一夫人倡议主任安妮塔·麦克布赖德(Anita McBride)表示，拜登已经做了30多年的教育家，并在丈夫的两届副总统任期内继续教书，她已经开创了一些先例，可以同时做这两件事。
麦克布赖德说:“这是她明确表示‘不仅仅是我做什么，而是我是谁’的事情，她让国家为她将继续这样做的事实做好了准备。
麦克布赖德说，在过去的几任总统任期内，该国一直在慢慢走向有一位第一夫人，她也有工作来平衡总统配偶的责任。拜登与其他第一夫人一样，努力推动美国在职业女性问题上向前发展。
她说:“你可以指着我们历史上几乎任何一位第一夫人，展示她们在什么地方挺身而出，努力推动国家向前发展，在各种问题上把信封推得更远一点。
拜登在课堂上被称为“拜登博士”，她拥有特拉华大学教育领导力教育博士学位。去年12月，一篇专栏文章华尔街日报那引起爆炸性反应呼吁拜登放弃这个头衔。
该专栏的作者约瑟夫·艾本斯坦写道，拜登使用“医生”这个词“听起来和感觉上都有欺骗性，更不用说是一部感人的喜剧了。”
在一个自录音再现装置发出的高音对此，拜登回应称:“我们将共同建设一个世界，让我们女儿的成就受到庆祝，而不是被贬低。”
纳塔莱说，第一夫人们陷入了公众批评的悖论，要么过于参与政治事务，没有专注于其他职责，要么参与不够——拜登也不例外。
她说:“第一夫人们，无论她们做什么，都会发现自己处于进退两难的境地。
虽然拜登一直直言继续教书以及回归面对面学习的重要性，但她对自己作为第一夫人的第二份工作保持低调。
她教授的两门课程在学期课程表上被列为由“特雷西·j”教授——这是她的中间名。
根据她的“评价我的教授”个人资料，这是一个允许学生评论大学教授的网站，一名学生写道，“我的意思是，在她的位置上，谁会继续在她家的公共生活中发生的一切?但在课堂上，她只是拜登博士。”
她也被学生评论归类为“严厉的分级员”，但也是“优秀的老师”。
纳塔莱希望拜登继续从事其职业的承诺将产生持久的影响。
她说:“我希望她为未来的第一任配偶树立一个先例，无论是男性还是女性，成为一个为此受到尊重的职场人。
Jill Biden returns to teaching this week, making history
Like many educators this fall,Jill Bidenheaded back to the classroom at Northern Virginia Community College Tuesday as thefirst presidential spouseto hold a full-time job while also serving her duties as first lady.
She was also the first second lady to continue with her full time career while her husband was serving as vice president.
Biden is teaching two sections of an introductory academic writing course this semester, with one section fully in-person and the other being a hybrid model of in-person and online learning, according to the college's course catalogue.
Throughout the pandemic Biden has advocated for the importance of returning to in-person instruction,writing for ABC's "Good Morning America," "I know that classrooms are so much more than places where our children learn math and reading."
Elizabeth Natalle is a founding and board member of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education, an organization that promotes and publicizes the contributions of first ladies.
She said Biden's dual career as a first lady and a professor is not only historic but it more accurately reflects the reality of American women which is a reality that embodies both being a working professional and having families.
"I think Jill Biden is very purposefully being quite vocal about her title, about her professionalism, about her work as a way to inspire and be a role model for American women and for girls growing up," she said.
Having been an educator for over 30 years and continuing to teach during her husband's two terms as vice president, Biden had already established some precedent that she could do both, according to Anita McBride, the director of the First Ladies Initiative at American University, which studies the influence of first ladies on politics, policy and public diplomacy.
"It's something that she made clear that 'It's not just what I do, it's who I am,' and she prepared the country for the fact that she would continue to do so," McBride said.
Over the past few presidencies, the country has been inching towards having a first lady who also has a job to balance with presidential spousal duties, McBride said. And Biden is not unlike other first ladies in her efforts to move America forward on its views about working women.
"You can point to almost any first lady in our history and show where they have risen to the occasion and tried to move the country forward and just push the envelope a little bit further on various issues," she said.
Biden, who goes by "Dr. Biden" in class, has her doctorate of education in educational leadership from the University of Delaware. Last December, an op-ed in theWall Street Journalthatgarnered explosive reactionscalled on Biden to drop the title.
The op-ed's author, Joseph Epstein, wrote that the use of doctor by Biden "sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic."
In atweet, Biden responded by saying "Together, we will build a world where the accomplishments of our daughters will be celebrated, rather than diminished."
Natalle said that first ladies are embroiled in a paradox of public criticism for either being too involved in political matters and not focusing on other duties or not being involved enough -- and Biden is no exception.
"First ladies, no matter what they do, find themselves between a rock and a hard place," she said.
While Biden has been vocal about continuing to teach and the importance of returning to in-person learning, she keeps a low profile about her second job as first lady.
The two courses she is teaching are listed on the semester's course schedule as being taught by "Tracy, J." -- which is her middle name.
According to her Rate My Professor profile, which is a website that allows students to review college professors, one student wrote that "I mean, who -- in her position -- would continue here with all that's going on in her family's very public life? But in the classroom she's simply Dr. Biden."
She is also classified as a "tough grader" but also a "wonderful teacher" by student reviews.
Natalle hopes that Biden's commitment to continue in her profession will create a lasting impact.
"I hope that she sets a precedent for future first spouses, whether that's a man or a woman, to be a working person who's respected for that," she said.
