Press Release
☷Remarks by President Biden at the 2022 National and State Teachers of the Year Event
White House ( By Press Release office)
Apr 28,2022
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East Room4:35 P . M . EDTTHE PRESIDENT: Thank you . Thank you , Kurt . Thank you , thank you , thank you . Secretary — Secretary Cardona , thank you . And — and I want to thank Jill . Jill is the nation’s first First Lady to work full time as a professor — as a teacher . She taught high school and she teaches at a community college for a long time now . We made a deal that — she was so — teaching is not what Jill does , it’s who she is , like most of you — who you are , what you believe . And so when we got elected — the presidency and as Vice President , as well — I suggested and she agreed fully that she should continue to teach . And people said , “What ” ( Laughter . ) Well , she teaches 14 credits a semester at community college full time , and she does her job . ( Applause . ) And , you know , I’m very , very supportive of teachers for a number of reasons — some of them are personal . But if I didn’t support teachers , I’d be sleeping alone in one of these bedrooms up here . ( Laughter . ) You know , before I begin the formal comments , one of the things that Jill reminded me of when she spoke — and I’ll bet all of you can give examples as well — I — I had — I got lucky . I won the — I won the lottery , in terms of parents; my mother and father were wonderful people . I had one of those moms that everybody wished had been their mom , for real . Everybody hung at my house . But I also was a bit of a runt , in terms of my size . And I used to ta - — ta - — ta - — talk like this . I stuttered badly . And when you stutter , everyone thinks you have to be either stupid or totally incompetent . And if you notice , it’s the only infirmity a child can talk about — an adult can talk about having had that people — you didn’t because you’re teachers — think they can laugh , think it’s funny . If you saw the movie “The King’s Speech , ” you understand . You understand . We went to see it , Jill and I , and right as the King was standing at the racetrack making the speech , she reached over — I guess I tightened up somehow; it brought back all — all the memories . And I look back on it now and I wonder , besides I really got lucky with my parents — my mother would say , “Look at me , Joey . Look at me . You’re smarter than anybody . You’re this . You’re that . So , stop . You can do this . ”My point is this: that I had teachers — I can name the ones through grade school , high school , and even college . I didn’t really beat my stuttering , and still occasionally I do , until I was — took speech and debate class in college just to force myself to be able to stand up . When they sent me the copy — the guy who wrote “The King’s Speech” found the original speech and made a copy of it and sent it to me — no , I mean , from the movie . And he does his speeches exactly like I did , which a nun taught me . If you took a look at my speech , you’ll see that there’s all these slash marks in the speech . Because , you know , an awful lot of people who are — I can’t sing worth a damn , but the people — entertainers and singers can sing like a nightingale but can’t talk , can’t speak . And I look back on my life , and I think , beyond my family — my sister , my brother , my mom , my dad — the people who made a difference in my life , in a fundamental way , were teachers . I remember — I was talking on the way over . This — my staff is going , “Why aren’t you giving the speech we wrote ” ( Laughter . ) But I remember — I truly remember — and we were talking about it on the way over — what got me involved in politics . I got into politics — involved in politics because I think the greatest sin that anyone can commit is the abuse of power , whatever that power is — the power of a teacher , the power of a doctor , the power of a leader . When someone who is relying on you or you cannot — just the abuse of power . And I got involved because my state was the only state in the Union , when Dr . King was murdered , that was occupied by the National Guard for 10 months with drawn bayonets in every corner because we had a very conservative governor who ordered the National Guard and — because my state has the eighth - largest Black population in America as a percent of population . And I had a job with the — one of the oldest law firms in the state . And I quit and became a public defender; that’s what got me involved . But again , where teachers come in: I was — I had no intention of running for public office . Everybody thought Biden knew he wanted to be President at the time he was in sixth grade or something . I love these biographies . ( Laughter . ) But here’s the deal: What I did do — I wanted to get engaged . And so , we had a very , very conservative Democratic Party in my state . And I thought it was — I thought it was wrong on civil rights . The more — the more progressive party was the Republican Party because we were a southern Democratic Party . We’re a slave state to our great shame , early on . We fought on the side of the North , like Maryland did , and four — two other states , but we were a border state . And that’s what got me going . And so , I was asked by a group of senior lawyers whether or not I’d join a thing called a “New Democratic Coalition . ” And the reason I bother to tell you that was how to reform the party , how to bring it into the — into the — you know , the 21st century — the 20th century , at the time . And — and one day after being asked to see if I can help recruit someone to run for the United States Senate against a very popular Republ - — Democ - — Republican senator , a group of senator — a former senator , a former congressman , and two former governors came to me and said , “We want you to run . ” And I wasn’t even old enough . I was 29 years old . And I thought , “This is crazy . ” But I remember going home from that convention , and the first stop I made was to speak to a professor in Dr . Ingersoll , who was one of those professors who was my — my — my philosophy professor in political science . And I stopped him , and I told him what was going on . And he looked at me , and I’ll never forget what he said . He said , “You should do it . ” I said , “I can’t do that . ” I never even knew anybody who was in the Senate . And he looked at me; he said , “Remember what Plato said . And I’ll paraphrase it , ” he said . “The penalty good people pay for not being involved in politics is being governed by people worse than themselves . ”But my generic point is this: He gave me the confidence , as a 29 - year - old kid with no money , to run . He gave me the confidence . Just like the nun would tell me , “Joey , Joey , you can do this . ” It gave me the confidence . And I think about it . You’re going to think about , 20 years from now , how did you end up standing on the podium in the White House ( Laughter . ) No , you didn’t ever expect that . I wonder how I got here . I got here because of my parents and my teachers . My teachers . And so , folks , you know , that idea is exemplified by the National Teacher of the Year . Kurt , you have and I have something in common though . I’m — I was an adjunct professor in law school for years teaching an advanced course in separation of powers . And I taught to get — to get money when I was at Syracuse Law School . To get through law school , I was a substitute teacher . You should be nicer to them . ( Laughter and applause . ) But that’s not what Kurt and I have in common . What we have in common is we both married women who are smarter than we are . ( Laughter . ) This is an assistant dean at Oberlin College , one of the finest colleges in the country . ( Applause . ) Kurt teaches history; he taught 25 years . In fact , he teaches in the same town , in the same district he grew up in . And , by the way , when I left the vice presidency , I had a chance to do a number of things . But I became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania , and — presidential politics . And I — it was — I enjoyed it , but it’s hard . That’s another thing people don’t realize: It’s hard . How much you prepare . I had a three - credit course I taught in law school . I would literally , every single — I didn’t want to do it during the week because I didn’t want people to say I’m taking away from my job as a senator , so I did it on Saturdays at Delaware Law School . I would prepare — Jill will tell you — three to four hours every single — before every class . And it was what — not only I taught , but — what I did as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee . I taught about separation of powers . It was what I did my whole life . And it took me all that time . But the point is: It really mattered . You know — you know , I love what this guy said in his classroom about — he said his classroom — he said , “We listen to each other and respect people’s opinion . ”Well , part of this is all about fundamentally teaching respect . While we might be in the opposite sides of hot topics , we’re on the same side in terms of having respect for one another . Well , Kurt , I understand you wanted to go back home to be a teacher because your teachers inspired you . I’ll bet every one of you can name one or two teachers who fundamentally impacted your lives . Well , you know , I think you’ve paid it forward many times over , old buddy , and — transforming the lives of your students in Oberlin , Ohio , helping students see themselves in you . That’s what happens , I think . And helping all your students not only learn history , but see — see what they — that they have a role in shaping history — I mean in a literal sense . And to the Delaware Teacher of the Year , where — where were you , Jahsha Where’s the Delaware Teacher of the Year ( Applause . ) I got to admit , we’re the second - smallest state , but I’m a little prejudiced on behalf of the state of Delaware . ( Laughter . ) I know there are a lot of eighth graders at Brandywine who are feeling confident and more comfortable because of your help . Jill taught at the same school when she was in Delaware , at Brandywine school — high school . And even though Teacher Appreciac - — Appreciation Week officially starts next week , I wanted to get us started earlier . It’s an honor for me and the First Lady and Secretary Cardona to recognize the Teachers of the Year from 50 different states . And it really is something we look forward . I had — I did a eulogy today for a brilliant woman , the former Secretary of State . And I sat in the front row with two other presidents who were also there to honor her . And I told them what I was doing . And they all talked about how much they enjoyed the years they were here with the Teacher of the Year event . Over — over the past two years , though , the entire country has witnessed the extraordinary dedication and resolve of our nation’s teachers . Early in the pandemic , teachers and teachers’ aides had to — had to do — not just be educators , you had to be tech support , you had to be moral support , you had to be — you had to be health support . I mean , you had to take care of your own children in addition . And I watched how hard it was — how really hard . There was so much heroic work to help kids connect , get connected to schools , and just the socialization that they were missing in so many places for so long . It’s estimated they’re five to seven months behind in their education right now . The American people saw it . Because guess what When you’re taught remotely from home , the moms and dads understood what you were doing . ( Laughter . ) And that — no , and they know they realized how damn hard it is . ( Laughter . ) No , I’m serious . I think it was — you know , my mother used to say , “Out of everything bad , something good will happen if you look hard enough for it . ” I think that was the upside . The American people became , “Whoa . My goodness . ” And they understand what you’ve been saying for years . That you are professionals — all of you . All of you have a responsibility to make sure you have what you need , and we have a responsibility to make sure we have what you need to educate our children safely so they have a chance — a chance to achieve their dreams — dreams they don’t even know they have — they don’t even know they have . That’s why I made it a priority to get educators vaccinated and re - open our schools quickly . ( Applause . ) We made a historic commitment to our schools — $130 billion in the Rescue Plan — $130 billion . ( Applause . ) It helped us go from 50 percent of our schools being closed to 99 percent of schools open and safe — better heating , air conditioning , and ventilation systems , safer buildings . It isn’t a thriving building until it comes alive , though , with teachers and students . With the help of the American Rescue Plan , local governments were able to — as the state officials here can tell you — in education — were able to add a record 279 , 000 new educators in 2021 — two hundred and sev - — 50 , 000 — another 50 , 000 jobs — teaching jobs in the first months of 2022 . In January , compared to the period before the pandemic , schools have increased their number of social workers by 65 percent and counselors by 17 percent . You’re expected to do everything . You’re expected to not only teach , you’re expected to be a guidance counselor yourself , but you’re also expected to deal with the problems that they have at home . You see it . You can see it in their faces when they walk into school and , as Jill said , just by the way they answer the questions — and questions about how they’re doing , how they’re feeling . And you need help . You need social workers . You need school psychologists and psychiatrists . You need that kind of help . And the American Rescue Plan funds are especially important now that we see the impact that this pandemic exacted on our children . As I’ve said , students have lost months of learning , particularly reading and math . It’s not just academic skills they’ve fallen behind on , teachers are seeing young children struggle to interact in group settings , to manage conflict , to take turns . They’ve got a learning — a lot of learning to make up . And we’re doing everything we can to help you . I want to know — I want input from you as well , because we have a lot of teachers we seek their input . Using funds from the American Rescue Plan , schools are providing and expanding summer learning — summer learning and tutoring programs to give students the extra time and attention they need to catch up and develop those fundamental math and reading skills . You all know , if you get far behind in first , second , third , fourth , fifth , sixth , seventh grade , it takes a lot of time to make up . And if you lose your confidence , it even gets harder . So , I urge more states , counties , and cities and towns to use their American Rescue Plan funding , which is in the billions of dollars , to hire more teachers , more tutors , more critical personnel in our schools . Now we have an opportunity to make even more game - changing investments for educators , students , and families . We’re in a competition for leading the 21st century . Not a joke . That’s what we’re — that’s where we are right now . You know , parenthetically , if you think about it: What was the reason why we led the world — beginning around nineteen - five , - six , and - seven , and - eight Because we became the first nation in the world to have universal education of 1 through 12 , for everybody — no matter what , without cost . Well , guess what If we were sitting down today , deciding we were going to set up an education system , raise your hand if any of you think 12 years is enough in the 21st century Just 12 years . Things are moving too rapidly . They’re changing exponentially . And as Jill said , any country that out - educates us is going to outcompete us . It’s that basic . So , we have to build a 21st century , because the rest of the world isn’t waiting . We have to build for it . One of the tough images of the pandemic was children sitting in their cars with their mother or dad or older brother or sister in a McDonald’s parking lot because that’s the only way they could get on Wi - Fi to do their homework . This is the United States of America for God’s sake . The United States of America . If we didn’t know it before , we know now: High - speed Internet is essential . That’s why we’re spending tens of billions to make sure that we have high - speed Internet available to everyone — rural America , inner - city America , suburban America — throughout every single school system in America . That’s part of the whole legislation we passed in terms of infrastructure . It’s starting now — it’s going to create millions of jobs as well . For real . But again , we got to get in the 21st century . We’ve got to move . And I — the budget I proposed supports schools , supports students , and supports you . The bridge — to bridge the gap between under - resourced schools and their wealthier counterparts , we’re proposing a $19 billion increase in Title I schools — the most historically neglected and underfunded schools in our nation . We got to get — we got to let them catch up . That investment would more than double the current funding of Title I schools . And also — also proposing the largest increase in special education funding in two decades . We made the promise; we’ve never filled — fulfilled it . We’ve got to fulfill it . We’ve got to add another billion - dollar commitment with the goal of doubling the number of social workers , school counselors , and school nurses in K through 12 . And , by the way , thanks to the American Rescue Plan , we’re making real progress towards that goal . And to support you , the educators , my budget includes $610 million to increase teacher diversity , effectiveness , and retention . ( Applause . ) This is key . Because all of you know that it takes time to become a teacher — the teachers you are today . But nearly 1 in 10 teachers leave the profession every year , with the youngest teachers being the most likely ones to leave first . So , we’ve got to invest in ways to keep them in the profession . This year , my administration helped over 150 public servants , including teachers , get — 150 , 000 — get school forgive — forgiveness loans for college loans through changes we made in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program . The last team kind of messed it up . We’ve cleared it up . ( Laughter . ) No , but I really mean it . Because if you go — if you — anyway , well , I won’t go into it . ( Laughter . ) Just go to that website . To learn how these changes can benefit you , and — I encourage you to go to StudentAid . gov , and you’re going to find you can have , in many of your cases , your entire student debt wiped out , because you are teaching and that’s considered a vital profession . One more thing . It’s not enough to give teachers praise . We ought to give you a raise . ( Applause . ) And so — and I have to really listen to you , which I know Senator Cardona has been doing . And we should stand up for you . We should have your back . Teaching is one of the hardest jobs in this country to be able to do it well , and one of the most important . Today , there are too many politicians trying to score political points , trying to ban books — even math books . I mean , did you ever think — even you younger teachers — did you ever think , when you’d be teaching , that you’d be worried about book burnings and banning books , all because it doesn’t fit somebody’s political agenda American teachers have dedicated their lives to teaching our children and lifting them up . We got to stop making them the target of the culture wars . That’s where this is going . Let me close with this , because I know — if I know anything about teachers , I know that some of you were probably grading papers on the way here . ( Laughter . ) By the way , Jill traveled with me around the world . I’d say , “Jill , leave the binder . Leave the bag . ” ( Laughter . ) And , by the way , how many are math teachers Raise your hand . She envies the hell out of you . She thinks your job is easier . You just have to check if they know the answer . ( Laughter . ) She teaches writing . ( Laughter . ) But she gets off the plane — am I joking — with up to 50 , 60 papers she’s grading on Air Force One . ( Laughter . ) I mean , I said , “Jill” — she’s walking down the , you know — ( laughter ) — you think I’m kidding you I’m not kidding with you . I — this is deadly earnest . So — and many of you are trying to figure out how you’re going to — if you have class tomorrow , you may not and you may be here for the — tomorrow . But on Monday , are you ready for your class Are you prepared Do you have your lesson plan together Because you know — look , these aren’t — we always talk about “these children . ” They’re not someone else’s children . They’re our children . And they are the kite strings that literally lift our national ambitions aloft in a literal sense . Think about it . If you got to do one thing to make sure the nation succeeded in the next two generations , what would you do You’d want — I would say , literally , have the best - educated public in the world . Have our students gain confidence enough to know what they can do , to reach in . We have an obligation . We have an obligation to help them teach and reach their potential . You’ve heard me say it many times about our children , but it’s true: They’re all our children . And the reason you’re the Teachers of the Year is because you recognize that . They’re not somebody else’s children; they’re like yours when they’re in the classroom . You represent a profession that helps them gain the confidence — a confidence they believe they can do anything . Again , think of your own lives . Think of where you gained the confidence beyond your family , God willing you’re able to . And you know what else we’re finding out We’re having a big fight about it now , but I’m going to get it done eventually , or someone will . And that is that we’ve learned now — you all know those who — of you in the teaching profession know that if you come from a broken home or a home that has a single parent — and there may be a drug problem or something , from a very poor home — you’re going to end up hearing a million words — fewer words spoken by the time you get to first grade than from a kid coming from an average middle - class home . Not different words , just words spoken , because they’re not engaged in it . And also , we learned that if , in fact , you have kids go to school at three years old and four years old and five years old , you’ll increase exponentially — by 57 percent — the likelihood that they will make it no matter what their background , all the way through 12 years of school and probably beyond . It matters . It matters . And for so — for that and so much more that you do , you believe in these kids . And I know some of them are really difficult . ( Laughter . ) I get it . But you believe in them . And you know: When they know you believe in them , they believe in you . So thank you for what you do . You are — if I get to have one profession that’s the best in the world — not a joke — it’s you who I want to be the best profession in the world , because you affect what this country looks like , what it’ll act like , what it’ll be like , its success or failure , more than any other group of Americans , period . So thank you for what you do . Keep it going . And I promise you , Jill has your back — ( laughter ) — and mine . ( Laughter . ) Thank you very much . ( Applause . ) Q Mr . President , how did the release just happen , given the invasion and what’s going on THE PRESIDENT: Say again Q Are you surprised Trevor Reed was released by Russia , given the invasion THE PRESIDENT: I did it . Q How THE PRESIDENT: I raised it . Q How though THE PRESIDENT: It was three months ago . 5:02 P . M . EDT
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