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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E426]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION MONTH
______
HON. JACKIE SPEIER
of california
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor every teacher,
administrator, employee and contractor in all San Mateo County school
districts who together prepare our children to grow into educated and
contributing members of our society. May is National Teacher
Appreciation Month, but they deserve our gratitude and admiration every
day. They rise to the occasion even under the most challenging and
unprecedented conditions they are facing in the midst of the
coronavirus pandemic.
Working in education is more than a job, it's a passion. The
dedication to guide and nurture our future generations is based on
selflessness and wanting to create a better world. The impact an
educator has on children is profound. The philosopher Plato once said:
``The direction in which education starts a man will determine his
future life''--wise and true words.
Who doesn't have memories of a teacher whose words and actions will
stay with them for the rest of their lives? My middle school teacher at
South San Francisco's Parkway, Mr. Jex, called me ``chief'' when he
appointed me editor in chief of the school newspaper. Mr. Jex gave me
confidence and a purpose. He helped determine the direction of my life
. . . like all teachers do.
Educators spend countless hours and their own money to prepare
students for the future. They buy pencils, crayons, paper, snacks,
toothbrushes, whatever it is the child is lacking. In the United
States, we don't pay them anywhere near their value. They deserve more
compensation and more recognition for the tireless and essential work
they do, but it's not in the nature of teachers to give up and walk
away, not even in the face of COVID-19.
The outbreak of the contagious novel coronavirus forced school and
health officers to close schools on March 16th to prevent the spread of
the disease. It did not shutter education, though. San Mateo County
teachers, administrators, kitchen workers and custodians rose to the
occasion. They created distance learning, providing students with
Chromebooks and hotspots to connect in virtual classrooms. They
designed innovative curricula to ensure engaging learning
opportunities. Understanding the dependence of many students on
breakfast and lunch, they continued to prepare and distribute meals.
Striving to prevent the achievement gap from deepening, they provided
additional support, tutoring and counseling for students and their
families.
Facing unprecedented challenges, everyone from superintendents to
principals to teachers to administrators to custodians came together
and contributed. Now, everyone continues to adjust to the new reality.
Schools will remain closed for the remainder of the academic year.
Madam Speaker, let us rise to acknowledge the remarkable resilience
of our educators and to redouble our efforts as Members of Congress and
as members of society to support them. They have our children's backs,
so we must have theirs. To invoke Plato again, he said: ``No man should
bring children into the world who is unwilling to persevere to the end
of their nature and education.''
____________________
