[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 5, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H3148-H3150]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK

  Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1312) recognizing the roles and contributions of 
America's teachers to building and enhancing our Nation's civic, 
cultural, and economic well-being, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1312

       Whereas education and knowledge are the foundation of 
     America's current and future strength;
       Whereas teachers and other education staff have earned and 
     deserve the respect of their students and communities for 
     their selfless dedication to community service and the future 
     of our Nation's children;
       Whereas the purpose of ``National Teacher Appreciation 
     Week'', held during May 3, 2010, through May 7, 2010, is to 
     raise public awareness of the unquantifiable contributions of 
     teachers and to promote greater respect and understanding for 
     the teaching profession; and
       Whereas students, schools, communities, and a number of 
     organizations representing educators are hosting teacher 
     appreciation events in recognition of ``National Teacher 
     Appreciation Week'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives thanks teachers 
     and promotes the profession of teaching by encouraging 
     students, parents, school administrators, and public 
     officials to participate in teacher appreciation events 
     during ``National Teacher Appreciation Week''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. McCollum). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. 
Bishop) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which 
Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House 
Resolution 1312 into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I might 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the important role teachers 
play in the education of our Nation. This week, May 3 through 7, we 
celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week. The National PTA created 
this week in 1984 to show gratitude to the approximately 3.2 million 
teachers in the United States, and to thank them for contributing to 
the civic, cultural, and economic well-being of our Nation. This 
National Teacher Appreciation Week is a chance for us to recognize the 
selflessness and dedication that teachers show to our children every 
day.
  We know that having teachers is integral to the educational outcomes 
of our Nation's youth. Research tells us that teacher quality accounts 
for the majority of variance in student achievement. Highly qualified 
teachers serve as excellent role models and instill a love for 
knowledge and lifelong learning in our students. They also shape 
tomorrow's leaders and prepare America's diverse student population 
with the skills it needs to compete in the 21st century workforce.
  Teaching is a skilled practice. Teachers reflect on their lessons and 
modify instruction to reach the broad range of needs of their students 
in their classrooms. Quality teachers hone their skills and are experts 
not only in their subject matter, but also at connecting with young 
people and making learning come alive. Teaching is a dynamic 
profession, and educators must continuously engage in quality 
professional development in order to sharpen their techniques and 
increase their own knowledge.
  Unfortunately, research has shown us the negative effects of teacher 
shortages. With the economic downturn, we have seen too many States 
turn to teacher layoffs to address budget deficits. Additionally, over 
the next 4

[[Page H3149]]

years more than a third of the Nation's 3.2 million teachers may 
retire. It is imperative that schools and communities continue to 
support our teachers if we are to educate our children to not only 
compete, but to lead and innovate in the 21st century economy.
  I would like to extend my congratulations to the 2010 National 
Teacher of the Year, Ms. Sarah Brown Wessling, an English teacher at 
Johnston High School in Johnston, Iowa. Ms. Wessling teaches 10th 
through 12th graders at Johnston High, and is recognized for her 
innovative, learner-centered teaching methods, and her passion for 
quality instruction. We recognize Ms. Wessling's hard work and the 
example she sets for our Nation's teachers.
  Madam Speaker, once again I express my support for National Teacher 
Appreciation Week. I encourage everyone to take a moment and to reflect 
on a motivational teacher that helped you realize your potential and 
reach your dreams. I want to thank Representative Graves for bringing 
this resolution to the floor, and I urge my colleagues to pass this 
resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today in support of House Resolution 1312, and also mention a 
conflict of interest since I did spend 28 years as a public school 
teacher before I joined this august body here. This resolution 
recognizes the roles and contributions of America's teachers in 
building and enhancing our Nation's civic, cultural, and economic well-
being, and supporting National Teacher Appreciation Week.
  Teachers provide one of the greatest services to our youth, which is 
education. Educators bear the responsibility of teaching the next 
generation, and, apart from parents, are one of the primary sources of 
knowledge and values of our kids. In today's challenging learning 
environment, teachers provide more than economic leadership. Teachers 
plan and organize classroom activities, they assess student 
performance, they understand the basic needs of students, they 
encourage them to improve, working closely with parents as they relate 
to students' performance and discipline, they motivate students, 
encourage them to participate in extracurricular activities, they make 
the highways safe, and entertain the community on Friday nights.
  Showing teachers appreciation and recognition during the upcoming 
National Teacher Appreciation Week is a terrific act of gratitude that 
reminds us of how important teachers are, and reminds us of what an 
integral role they play in our lives.
  Teachers today devote time to professional development, their own 
education, and on class preparation outside the classroom. Most 
teachers spend much longer than the official school day working on 
teaching duties, and often spend their own money to meet the needs of 
their students. Teachers make these time, energy, and monetary 
commitments, and they deserve recognition for such.
  Today we also recognize the importance of having well-trained, 
dedicated, and skilled teachers in schools. We honor all teachers who 
have made a difference by preparing tomorrow's leaders.
  I also want to thank my colleague from Missouri (Mr. Graves) for 
introducing this resolution, unfortunately 7 years after I retired, but 
introducing it nonetheless. I ask for your support.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez).
  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. I would like to thank my 
colleague.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in recognition of National Teacher Appreciation 
Week. This is a time to honor teachers for the positive impact they 
make in our lives. I thank the gentleman from Missouri for introducing 
this legislation.
  Teachers fill many roles. They inspire students to set and reach 
goals. They are role models, motivators, and mentors. Most importantly, 
they help students develop the knowledge and skills they need to 
understand the world and to become a productive part of it. They work 
with limited resources to ensure that our students receive a quality 
education.
  There are so many teachers in my district who work hard to open 
students' minds to ideas, knowledge, and dreams, but today I want to 
mention just three:
  Julie Wright, who teaches first grade at Gardenhill Elementary School 
in La Mirada. Recently, Ms. Wright was nominated Teacher of the Year. 
Outside of the classroom, she invests her time in the local community 
by participating in the PTA and the Girl Scouts.
  Pattie Blasnick is a special day class teacher at Ada S. Nelson 
Elementary School. Because of her patience and dedication to her 
special needs students, she was selected as the Los Nietos Teacher of 
the Year for 2009-2010.
  Juvenal Martinez is a sixth grade teacher at Aeolian School who was 
recently honored for outstanding service in education and agriculture 
because of his commitment to increasing student and community knowledge 
about agriculture, horticulture, and nutrition.
  I encourage everyone to take a moment to let a special teacher know 
how much they touched your life.
  Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I 
may consume.
  Obviously, this is an issue that is very dear to my heart at the same 
time, as I know full well how dedicated teachers are in putting in of 
their own time and their own effort to make their classrooms a success. 
And it is one of those particular areas in which they need to be 
recognized.
  It would be nice if we could recognize them in other ways that are 
more substantial and maybe monetarily more satisfying, but at least to 
recognize the fact that teachers do put of themselves and give of 
themselves in an effort to try and deal and work with the future 
generations. That is one of those things that cannot be ever 
underestimated or underidentified.
  So I appreciate the fact that this time, which is called National 
Teacher Appreciation Week, an entity that was started by the PTA, is 
indeed one of those elements that we should take the time to recognize 
the significant factor, the significant effort that all the teachers 
make in not only our public schools but our private schools as well, 
and indeed you can probably expand this in some particular way to 
extend to those who are teaching at home, which means our parents are 
teachers in and of themselves. They too need to be recognized for the 
commitment they make to our students. It is an important effort. It is 
an important entity.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. CHU. As a teacher who was in the classroom for 20 years myself, I 
deeply appreciate this resolution. And it is a very timely one, 
especially as we go into reauthorization of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Madam Speaker, I would like to yield such time as 
he may consume to the sponsor of this particular resolution, the 
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves).
  Mr. GRAVES. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 
1312, a resolution recognizing the significant contributions of our 
Nation's teachers. I want to thank Chairman Miller and Ranking Member 
Kline for allowing this measure to come to the House floor today. I 
also want to thank Representative Guthrie and my many colleagues who 
have joined me as original cosponsors in moving forward this important 
tribute.
  The goal of H. Res. 1312 is to promote the profession of teaching and 
honor those who enter into it. There are other jobs with better pay, 
shorter hours, and oftentimes less hassle than teaching. However, each 
year thousands of college graduates choose teaching as a profession. 
And it in no small part is a result of the impact their own teachers 
had on them.
  In addition, I urge my colleagues to take part in National Teacher 
Appreciation Week, held from May 3 to May 7. It is designed to provide 
a means for students, parents, and the entire community to come 
together and participate in events and activities that show our 
appreciation for teachers and their selfless dedication to community 
service and the future of our Nation's children.

[[Page H3150]]

  In closing, I once again thank my colleagues for taking the time 
today to recognize the profession of teaching, and encourage the strong 
support of this resolution.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 
1312, a resolution celebrating the roles and contributions of America's 
teachers to building and enhancing our Nation's civic, cultural, and 
economic well-being. On National Teacher Day, thousands of communities 
and schools take time to honor their local educators and acknowledge 
the crucial role that teachers play in making sure that quality 
education is a right for every student, not a privilege for some.
  I strongly support this resolution because I believe that we in 
Congress must do our part to thank those teachers who have dedicated 
their lives to providing a quality education for all students, 
regardless of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, gender, or 
religion. We trust our teachers with our Nation's most precious asset--
our children--and we must pause to thank them for the seriousness with 
which they take that charge.
  In my district alone, there are thousands of teachers working hard 
every single day to make sure that the students in Long Beach, Carson, 
Compton, Signal Hill, and Watts develop a love of life-long learning 
and that they have the tools and the knowledge they need to succeed in 
school and in life. Teachers do more than just teach; they also help 
build communities. They foster a sense of school community and they 
bring learning to the neighborhoods and communities that surround our 
schools. The NEA has asked that on National Teacher Day this year we do 
more than just pay lip service to our teachers. Better than an apple or 
a thank you card, a community's active support of the work that 
educators do to teach and care for the community's students would be 
ample reward.
  But our recognition and support should not stop there. Many States 
have announced this year that they will solve their budget crises by 
laying off thousands of teachers and staff from our public schools. For 
example, in my home city of Long Beach, more than 1,000 teachers, 
counselors and social workers were formally notified in March that they 
may lose their jobs at the end of this school year. I was particularly 
upset by this news because Long Beach Unified School District is one of 
the best urban school districts in the country. It was awarded the 
prestigious Broad Prize for excellence in Urban Education in 2003, and 
it has been nominated for the prize four times since the prize's 
inception in 2002. The last thing we should do is lay off our Nation's 
teachers, particularly in places such as Long Beach Unified School 
District where the teachers and staff are out-performing other schools 
throughout the country. We should celebrate and recognize those 
teachers and schools that are excelling, and use them as the model for 
how to improve teachers and schools that are struggling to meet their 
standards.
  We are facing one of the worst economic downturns in our country's 
history and I know that we must make tough choices about where to 
invest our scarce resources. However, our children are our future and 
without a proper, high-quality education they will not have the tools 
they need to succeed. I believe we must honor the commitment our 
teachers have made to our children by finding ways to balance states' 
budgets that do not result in widespread layoffs for public school 
educators and staff. Education is a civil right and we in Congress must 
do our part to protect that right for all children in all communities 
around the country.
  I applaud our Nation's teachers for their dedication to educating our 
most valued population in this country--our children. Without high-
quality teachers in all schools, many of our children would be at a 
great disadvantage academically. Our teachers, particularly those who 
dedicate their lives to teaching in underserved communities, do their 
part to ensure that all children have the tools they need to succeed 
every day in school and to contribute to society's future. I ask my 
fellow colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 1312.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in 
support of H. Res. 1312 to recognize the roles and contributions of 
America's teachers in building and enhancing our Nation's civic, 
cultural, and economic well-being.
  Education is the backbone of our society, and perhaps Thomas 
Jefferson summed it up best when he said, ``Whenever the people are 
well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.'' Simply 
put, the ability for our society to function and our democracy to work 
properly is dependent on a well-educated and informed electorate. 
Because of this, teachers play such a pivotal and vital role in our 
society, and it is important that we recognize their contributions to 
the future of our country.
  This year, May 3-7 is teacher appreciation week, and I am proud to 
honor our teachers during this time. In Dallas, we have some of the 
best students and educators in the country, and I am incredibly proud 
of the work our teachers do to enhance the lives of our young people. 
The sacrifices they make are truly extraordinary, and I commend them on 
their efforts.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my fellow colleagues to join me today in 
recognizing our teachers and supporting this resolution. Truly our 
teachers work tirelessly for our children, and by so doing, they are 
giving America a brighter future.

                              {time}  1215

  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I urge passage of House Resolution 1312, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1312, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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