[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.