[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 136 (Friday, July 31, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E714]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING UTAH TEACHERS AND EDUCATORS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BEN McADAMS

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 31, 2020

  Mr. McADAMS. Madam Speaker, all of us have fond memories of a 
favorite teacher--someone who became a mentor that inspired us to reach 
for our dreams. In ordinary times, classrooms are where we discover--
with help from our teachers--the doors an education will open for us as 
we pursue our passions.
  These are far from ordinary times. Just a few short months ago, kids 
left school on a Friday and then started the following Monday in an 
entirely new learning environment. They learned lessons from teachers 
talking to them on a computer screen, as teachers quickly shifted their 
lesson plans to online learning. Parents got a crash course in what 
it's like to keep children engaged with assignments and learning over a 
seven-hour day.
  We have always asked a lot of our teachers and school principals in 
Utah. They juggle resources that are stretched thin. They must be 
prepared to teach children with a range of learning styles and 
abilities. They wear many hats beside that of teachers--counselor, 
referee, nurse, bookkeeper, fundraiser and organizational expert. This 
fall, they are being tested by a dramatically more difficult 
circumstance--preparing to go back to school in the face of a highly-
contagious virus, about which not much is known, except that sometimes 
it can be lethal.
  I'm a father of four school-age children and the son of a teacher. I 
like to think that I value and appreciate the teaching profession and 
unique ability teachers have, to connect a curious child's mind with 
knowledge, aspiration, and discipline.
  As this unprecedented fall 2020 school year approaches, as we all 
struggle to make sense of what classrooms this fall will look like, I 
would like to salute all Utah teachers and staff and thank them for 
their extraordinary dedication to their work and to our children.

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