[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6555]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK

  (Mr. COSTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, we honor American teachers nationwide this 
week, who, day in and day out, work to make a future brighter for 
America.
  We all have had at least one or more teachers who has shaped our 
lives and who have believed in us. Mine was Mrs. Myrna Collins, who 
taught me in both the fourth and seventh grades back at Kearney 
Elementary School. This no-nonsense woman with a Texas drawl was 
determined that, despite the fact that I could be a handful, I was 
going to behave and learn--and learn I did.
  A few years back, I made an effort to have lunch with Mrs. Collins, 
and she made the comment that she knew that I could be successful if I 
only applied myself, and she was right. Her guidance back then showed 
me how much could be accomplished with hard work and focus.
  In the San Joaquin Valley and nationwide, teachers of America meet 
the challenges in the classroom with grace and grit every day. As we 
recognize these teachers throughout our country, we thank you for what 
you do every week of the school year.
  God bless you, Mrs. Collins, for all the students whose lives you've 
touched. Thank you.

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