Celebrating our Teachers

On Tuesday the President welcomed the Teachers of the Year to the White House, Dr. Jill Biden tells us about the time she spent with them.

It’s been a really inspiring week in Washington– because the teachers are in town! This week I had the true honor of welcoming some very special guests to Washington DC: the 2009 Teachers of the Year. 55 of them traveled to DC representing all of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense, American Samoa, the Marianna Islands, and the Virgin Islands. I’ve been a teacher for 28 years, so I know how hard these teachers work and was thrilled to meet them and welcome them to our home, the Vice President’s Residence.

On Tuesday morning, I taught two English classes at my community college in Virginia, quickly changed in the school bathroom, and raced to the White House so that I could be there to celebrate the teachers and congratulate Anthony Mullen, the final winner along with President Obama, Michelle Obama, and Arne Duncan. Anthony teaches Special Education to 9-12th graders in Connecticut. I used to teach at-risk students in the high schools, so I was truly excited to spend time with him and his family. It was a beautiful day in the Rose Garden and I know that everyone there left feeling inspired.

read the transcript

As I told the group of teachers on Monday night, the greatest thing about this Administration is that the President and my husband Joe not only believe in education, they are investing in it. I know that teachers have many challenges in their classrooms, but we’re going to keep working together to make things better. I hope someone reading this post might even be inspired to become a 2010, 2015, or 2020 Teacher of the Year. You won’t regret it and our country needs you.