[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 7814-7815]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TEACHERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, this evening I come to the floor to 
remind my colleagues, just today we passed a tax bill that cuts taxes. 
In the next several weeks we will be back on this floor talking about 
the money for education. Unfortunately, we will be reducing our 
investment in education.
  Tonight, though, I want to share with you a statement relating to our 
teachers. I was a great privilege on Saturday evening to speak to our 
State PTA in North Carolina; and they shared this story, and I want to 
share it with my colleagues because I think it ought to remind all of 
us what is important about the job we do, what is important here in 
America. Because too many times we get caught up in what people make 
and how much money they get, and today this Congress did just that. And 
let me share it with you.
  Some dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One 
man, a wealthy CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He 
argued, What is a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best 
option in life was to become a teacher? He reminded the other dinner 
guests that it is true what they say about teachers. Those who can, do; 
those who cannot, teach.
  To corroborate what he said, he turned to another guest. You are a 
teacher, Susan. Be honest. What do you make?
  Susan, who had a reputation of being honest and frank, replied, You 
want to know what I make? I make kids work harder than they ever 
thought they could. I can make a C-plus feel like a Congressional Medal 
of Honor winner. And I can make an A-minus feel like a slap in the face 
if the student did not do his or her best. I can make kids sit through 
40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence. I can make parents 
tremble in fear when I call home.
  You want to know what I make? I make kids wonder. I make them 
question. I make them criticize. I make them apologize and mean it. I 
make them write and I make them read, read, read. I make them spell 
definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful over 
and over and over

[[Page 7815]]

again until they will never misspell either of those words again.
  I make them show all their work in math and hide it all on their 
final drafts in English. I make them understand that if you have the 
brains, then follow your heart. And if someone ever tries to judge you 
by what you make, you pay them no attention.
  You want to know what I make? I make a difference.
  Mr. Speaker, God bless all those who go into the classroom every day 
and make a difference, not because they are paid, but because they care 
about the future of this great country.

                          ____________________