[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 6, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H1870]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TO TEACH IS TO TOUCH A LIFE FOREVER

  (Mr. LATIMER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LATIMER. Mr. Speaker, this week is National Teacher Appreciation 
Week. My gratitude for teachers far surpasses 1 minute of time.
  Our Nation is a better place because of the work teachers do every 
day to teach the next generation and arm them with the skills that are 
needed to succeed.
  My favorite teacher was Rayella B. Heely, who taught my eighth grade 
algebra class in Mount Vernon, New York, in 1966. She was tough, and 
she did not give out easy grades. I did not get a particularly good 
grade, but she taught me concepts that I remember to this day.
  Teachers are increasingly asked to do more in addition to teaching. 
They check in on the well-being and mental health of their students. 
They make sure that students get enough to eat during school meals and 
have notebooks and pencils and crayons. They are advocates in front of 
school boards to prevent cuts to funding and to resources.
  There is a famous saying: ``To teach is to touch a life forever.''
  Mr. Speaker, I thank teachers for the lives that they continue to 
touch and shape. As former students and parents of students, we are 
forever grateful.

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