To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden hosted a virtual event for teachers from across the country with NEA President Becky Pringle and AFT President Randi Weingarten. Bloomfield Education Association President Gail Jorden attended to represent Connecticut teachers.
“I made a promise to you that as long as Joe is president, you will always have a seat at the table,” she said. “All of you were called to this profession for a reason. You believe that a better world is possible, and you make that real one student at a time. And none of that could happen without the support of our unions!”
Dr. Biden said that, amidst the chaos of the school day, teachers sometimes feel like they’re alone. “But our union leaders show us that we are never alone. That behind each of us are thousands of educators in schools across the country united through a common devotion to our students.”
“Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all of you out there!” Pringle told educators. “It should not be one day, it should not be one week, it should be every day, of every week of every month, all year long where we lift up our teachers and we celebrate them.”
She continued, “This week during Teacher Appreciation Week we must spend our time not just lifting up our educators, not just paying them in a way that reflects the important role they play in our society, but respecting them as the important professionals they are to make teaching and learning decisions for our students so that we create that joyful, loving environment that has plentiful resources and all the supports so our students can become the leaders of a just society.”
“Being invited to the White House virtually was a unique experience that I will be forever grateful for!” Jorden said. “I was humbled and honored to hear the respect and admiration the first lady has for teachers.”
Dr. Biden told teachers she recognized how challenging the last stretch of the school year can be with children’s attention wavering and final projects, exams, and more on teachers’ plates. “I just finished final exams last Thursday and posted grades,” said Biden, who teaches at Northern Virginia Community College.
“In the day-to-day, we don’t always recognize how much this work matters, but at the end of a school year we get to see how much our students have grown and how much they’ve taught us and our whole school community as well,” she said.
Biden added, “I want to personally let you know how grateful the president and I are for your incredible work. To answer this call of service is in itself an act of hope. You look at your students and don’t just see who they are today. You see all the possibility of tomorrow. You help them find the light within themselves, and that light lives on in all of you.”
