Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 403) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should be established a National Teacher Day to…
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 403) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should be established a National Teacher Day to honor and celebrate teachers in the United States, as amended.
Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 403, a resolution that supports the goals and ideals of National Teacher Day to honor and celebrate teachers in the United States of America.
Every day in schools across the country, teachers work tirelessly to educate our country's most precious resource, our children. Oftentimes they work long hours under difficult conditions and don't receive the recognition and appreciation they deserve. The least we can do is designate a day where the teachers of America know that they are appreciated and that they are in our thoughts.
Most of us can think back to that one special teacher who influenced us or changed our lives: the math teacher that took extra time out of their overloaded schedule to help us understand that one difficult algebra problem; the Spanish teacher who stayed late to help us with verb conjugations before the big test, or the history teacher who made the American Revolution come alive off the page of a textbook.
Teachers are the glue that holds our education system together. They ensure that our young people become successful adults by providing the knowledge and skills for them to thrive, even if some of our children don't realize it at the time. Teachers help our children find their way along the path to adulthood, teaching more than facts and figures, but life lessons as well.
I often remember and often talk about my favorite teacher, a woman, Ms. Beadie King, who taught in a one-room school that I attended as a young person. Ms. Beadie taught 8 grades plus what we called the little primer and the big primer, all at the same time. And oftentimes today, when I talk, I use pithy sayings and comments. Most of those I remember from Ms. Beadie, who would often use these little illustrations to try and teach us how to behave.
For example, she used to tell us that a wise old owl sat on an oak. The more he heard, the less he spoke. The more he spoke, the less he heard. Now I want you boys to be like that wise old bird. And of course, if we didn't comply, she had other methods and techniques that she would use to get her message across.
And to this very day--that's been a long, long time ago--I never forget poems that she taught us because by the time I graduated high school, she had become the English teacher and the literature teacher.
And she taught without thinking about her compensation. As a matter of fact, some days she would walk in the rain, 6 to 8 miles herself, to get to school. Other times, if the weather was just too inclement, her husband would drive her in his wagon. Now, of course, lots of people can't remember times like those, but that was sometime ago.
We still have many dedicated teachers all over America, teachers who give of themselves in such a way that others can experience and have the opportunities to grow and develop to become whatever it is that their talents, ambition, hard work combine to make them. That is the role of teachers. That is the promise of America.
And so we salute teachers on this day. I believe that they are the salt of the Earth, the pillars of the universe, the individuals upon whose shoulders the rest of society stands.
And so I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.
Madam Speaker, this resolution was introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from Florida, Representative Ron Klein, on April 22, 2010, and was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The committee reported the measure by unanimous consent on May 6, 2010. The measure enjoys the support of over 70 Members of the House, and so I thank the Member from Florida for introducing this measure. And I'd also like to thank Chairman Towns and Ranking Member Issa for their support. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting our Nation's teachers by voting in favor of this measure.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, to close, we have noted lately strong conversation about perhaps some school districts having to lay off teachers, not having all of the resources that are needed or the resources that are necessary to keep them engaged and keep them employed.
I urge my colleagues, not only to support this resolution, but I urge this Congress, I urge State legislatures, I urge State officials and Federal officials and local officials all across the country to make absolutely certain that we find the resources necessary to make our education system the very best in the world and to live up to the idea that our teachers deserve all of the support we could possibly provide.
Yes.
I want to thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Broun) very much for his comments, and I join with him.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
