In her final public address to the nation’s educators as First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden last night thanked teachers for “devoting your lives to our nation’s students through the good days and the tough ones, through setbacks and breakthroughs, through careful lesson planning and all the surprises you can never plan for.”
In the livestreamed White House event, where she was joined by NEA President Becky Pringle and AFT President Randi Weingarten, Biden recalled the first promise she made to teachers as First Lady: that educators would always have a seat at the table.
“That promise has been my guiding light over that past four years, and I hope you felt your impact in all that we’ve accomplished together,” she said. “We’ve built an even stronger education system in this country, and it took all of us, because policies don’t work if we don’t implement them in our classrooms. And our schools don’t transform lives without educators who are dedicated. I know you will continue to push our nation forward in a way that only teachers can, always making sure our students are front and center.”
An NEA member and an educator herself for 40 years, Biden said, “Being your First Lady has been the honor of my life, but being your colleague has been the work of my life. I will always love this profession, which is why I continued to teach full-time while serving as your First Lady. I couldn’t have done it without the love and support of fellow educators.”
She commended both national education association leaders for being bold champions of educators, fighting for every inch of progress and lifting educators up so that they can lift up students.
“We are unstoppable when we act together,” she said.
“You promised that you would partner with us throughout your tenure, and that’s exactly what you did every step of the way, from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to healthy meals for every child, student debt relief, and addressing the mental health of our students,” said Pringle, adding, “To educators all over this country, I say thank you. You get up every day and you teach and drive and feed and nurture and counsel our students, no matter what else is going on. Thank you for all you do not just for our students but for our families, our communities, and this country. Thank you for continuing that righteous fight for every student, because you know public education is the foundation of any democracy.”
“To all the educators listening, thank you,” added Weingarten. “For everything that happens in classrooms, you are the difference-makers in so many ways, and our children need you. You inspire them, you see them, you lift them up, and you engage them in the promise of America.”
