[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 5, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E426]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 5, 2020

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor every teacher, 
administrator, employee and contractor in all San Mateo County school 
districts who together prepare our children to grow into educated and 
contributing members of our society. May is National Teacher 
Appreciation Month, but they deserve our gratitude and admiration every 
day. They rise to the occasion even under the most challenging and 
unprecedented conditions they are facing in the midst of the 
coronavirus pandemic.
  Working in education is more than a job, it's a passion. The 
dedication to guide and nurture our future generations is based on 
selflessness and wanting to create a better world. The impact an 
educator has on children is profound. The philosopher Plato once said: 
``The direction in which education starts a man will determine his 
future life''--wise and true words.
  Who doesn't have memories of a teacher whose words and actions will 
stay with them for the rest of their lives? My middle school teacher at 
South San Francisco's Parkway, Mr. Jex, called me ``chief'' when he 
appointed me editor in chief of the school newspaper. Mr. Jex gave me 
confidence and a purpose. He helped determine the direction of my life 
. . . like all teachers do.
  Educators spend countless hours and their own money to prepare 
students for the future. They buy pencils, crayons, paper, snacks, 
toothbrushes, whatever it is the child is lacking. In the United 
States, we don't pay them anywhere near their value. They deserve more 
compensation and more recognition for the tireless and essential work 
they do, but it's not in the nature of teachers to give up and walk 
away, not even in the face of COVID-19.
  The outbreak of the contagious novel coronavirus forced school and 
health officers to close schools on March 16th to prevent the spread of 
the disease. It did not shutter education, though. San Mateo County 
teachers, administrators, kitchen workers and custodians rose to the 
occasion. They created distance learning, providing students with 
Chromebooks and hotspots to connect in virtual classrooms. They 
designed innovative curricula to ensure engaging learning 
opportunities. Understanding the dependence of many students on 
breakfast and lunch, they continued to prepare and distribute meals. 
Striving to prevent the achievement gap from deepening, they provided 
additional support, tutoring and counseling for students and their 
families.
  Facing unprecedented challenges, everyone from superintendents to 
principals to teachers to administrators to custodians came together 
and contributed. Now, everyone continues to adjust to the new reality. 
Schools will remain closed for the remainder of the academic year.
  Madam Speaker, let us rise to acknowledge the remarkable resilience 
of our educators and to redouble our efforts as Members of Congress and 
as members of society to support them. They have our children's backs, 
so we must have theirs. To invoke Plato again, he said: ``No man should 
bring children into the world who is unwilling to persevere to the end 
of their nature and education.''

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