    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [April 26, 2007]
    [Pages 485-488]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Honoring the 2007 National and State Teachers of the Year
    April 26, 2007

        She forgot to add, ``and loves a teacher.''
    [Laughter] I made a good move when I married a teacher, and Laura and I
    are honored to welcome you here to the Rose Garden. Thanks for coming,
    and thanks for teaching.
        This is a special day for all who care deeply about education,
    because we fully understand that without a good teacher, it's

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    hard to achieve national goals and objectives. And so the Teacher of the
    Year ceremony is a chance to pay homage to some really fine public
    servants and great Americans; so we welcome you.
        I appreciate the Secretary of Education joining us. I want to thank Congressman John
    Boozman and his wife Cathy, from Arkansas. We thank Jay Inslee, from Washington, for joining us; thank you, Congressman.
    Dennis Moore and Stephene, from Kansas, have joined us, as has Rick
    Larsen from Washington. I wonder
    why all these Washington Congressmen have joined us. [Laughter]
        I--Laura and I just had a chance to thank
    every State Teacher of the Year. It's an honor to welcome you to the
    Oval Office. It is a shrine to democracy and a wonderful place to give
    our personal thanks to a job well done.
        I do want to recognize the finalists this year: Justin
    Minkel from Arkansas; Josh Anderson from Kansas; Tamara Tiong
    from New Mexico; Andrea Peterson, the
    Teacher of the Year. And we've got to recognize Joel, the husband of the Teacher of the Year. Thank you, Joel.
    [Laughter] And mom and
    dad--I'm going to say something about mom and dad in a minute.
        I want to thank Gene Wilhoit, executive
    director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, for sponsoring
    this event. Rhonda Mims, the president
    of ING Foundation; Tom Waldron, the
    executive vice president of ING; and all the chief state school officers
    here today: thanks for coming. Thanks for honoring the teachers.
        When you really think about it, few professionals have as direct an
    impact on our future as our teachers. Teachers are among our children's
    first role models, counselors, and friends. Teachers awaken young minds,
    and teachers encourage ingenuity and unleash fertile imaginations.
        It's demanding work to be a teacher, even during its best moments.
    Sometimes, teachers come across students who require them to summon
    every last ounce of patience and understanding. When those times come, I
    just ask that you remember: One day that student may become the
    President. [Laughter]
        We ask a lot of our teachers, and we owe them a lot in return. One
    of the first priorities as President was to work with members of both
    parties to pass what's called the No Child Left Behind Act. I am--I
    can't tell you how important this act is to make sure every child learns
    to read, write, and add and subtract. The act insists upon high
    standards, standards that you all set in your classrooms. Otherwise, you
    wouldn't be a Teacher of the Year. It says that it's important to
    measure to determine whether or not our children are learning and
    meeting standards. Measurement is not a tool to punish; measurement is a
    tool to correct and reward.
        The No Child Left Behind Act is working. In reading, 9-year-olds
    have made more progress in 5 years than the previous 28 years combined.
    A President couldn't report that to the Nation unless we actually
    measured to determine whether that was true. In math, 9-year-olds and
    13-year-olds have earned their highest test scores ever. In both reading
    and math, African American and Hispanic students are scoring higher and
    beginning to close the achievement gap with their peers.
        The structure of the No Child Left Behind Act, the strategy of the
    act makes a lot of sense. And that's why the Congress needs to
    reauthorize this good law. But the act wouldn't be working without
    really dedicated teachers making sure our children learn.
        Teaching is more than a profession; it's a calling. And that calling
    came early to our Teacher of the Year. Andrea Patterson--
    Peterson--knows the importance of education
    in her life. After all, as she explained to me in the Oval Office, her
    first role model was her dad, who has taught for
    more than 30 years. And we welcome you. And we congratulate you on being
    such a fine dad that your daughter stands

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    here in the Rose Garden as the National Teacher of the Year.
        Andrea has got two sisters-in-law who
    are teachers and a mother-in-law who is a teacher. This is a family that
    really cares about good grammar. [Laughter] I probably wouldn't do all
    that well at the dinner table. [Laughter] When you come from a family of
    teachers, you tend to develop a lifelong appreciation of learning, and
    more importantly, a--it enables you to find creative ways to instill
    that appreciation in others.
        Andrea has done some--a lot of amazing
    work as a music teacher at Monte Cristo Elementary School in Granite
    Falls, Washington. In her 10 years at Monte Cristo, she has built an
    impressive music program, almost from scratch. She helped the school
    purchase instruments, organized an after-school choir, and helped obtain
    computer programs that allow students to compose their own music. She
    has integrated music education into other subjects. She's taken novels
    that children were reading in other classes and turned them into musical
    productions. She's used musical notes to explain fractions. She's helped
    students reach out to the community by developing a music program that
    honored local veterans. She's used music to reach students who are not
    doing well in the traditional classroom setting.
        She's more than a music teacher. One
    parent said of Andrea this: ``Mrs. Peterson is passionate about her job,
    and it shows.'' In fact, like any good teacher, Andrea juggles
    responsibilities that would exhaust all of us. For example, in the past
    few months, she's taught classes full time; she carried out her
    obligations as Washington State Teacher of the Year, and took part in
    the National Teacher of the Year activities. And to top it all off, 4
    weeks ago she gave birth to a daughter named
    Faith. That's what we call multitasking. [Laughter] Faith probably
    doesn't know it yet, but she's lucky to have a mom and a dad like the Petersons.
        There are a few other teachers who I think deserve mention today,
    and those are the teachers at Virginia Tech. They did all they could to
    protect their students from a day of horror, and they're doing all they
    can to help them heal in the aftermath. One teacher gave his life by
    using his body to barricade a classroom door while his students jumped
    to safety from windows. Americans everywhere hold the teachers and
    students and parents of the Virginia Tech community in our thoughts and
    in our prayers.
        This tragedy has affected at least one of the teachers here in a
    very personal way, and that would be Susan Evans, who earned her master's degree at Virginia Tech, and we
    thank you for wearing the Virginia Tech scarf today.
        Our Nation is still seeking to make sense of this tragedy, and so
    are America's children. In fact, one of your hardest jobs is to explain
    horrific acts to the students. It's a hard job, but I want to thank
    America's teachers for comforting and encouraging our Nation's youth
    during difficult moments such as the tragedy at Virginia Tech.
        We're fortunate to have teachers like we do in America, men and
    women who are drawn to the classroom with a desire to serve something
    larger than themselves. So on behalf of a grateful nation, I thank you
    for your hard work and your dedication. I thank you for preparing our
    young children for the challenges of the 21st century. And I thank you
    for all you do every day to help build a better America.
        Congratulations, and welcome to the White House.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:17 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Thomas P. Waldron, executive vice
    president, human resources and brand, ING North America Insurance Corp.;
    and Susan Evans, 2007 Virginia State Teacher of the Year. The transcript
    released by the Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks
    of the First Lady, who

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    introduced the President. The Office of the Press Secretary also
    released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.