To Teach is to Touch A Life Forever

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. LATIMER. Mr. Speaker, this week is National Teacher Appreciation Week. My gratitude for teachers far surpasses 1 minute of time.

Our Nation is a better place because of the work teachers do every day to teach the next generation and arm them with the skills that are needed to succeed.

My favorite teacher was Rayella B. Heely, who taught my eighth grade algebra class in Mount Vernon, New York, in 1966. She was tough, and she did not give out easy grades. I did not get a particularly good grade, but she taught me concepts that I remember to this day.

Teachers are increasingly asked to do more in addition to teaching. They check in on the well-being and mental health of their students. They make sure that students get enough to eat during school meals and have notebooks and pencils and crayons. They are advocates in front of school boards to prevent cuts to funding and to resources.

There is a famous saying: ``To teach is to touch a life forever.''

Mr. Speaker, I thank teachers for the lives that they continue to touch and shape. As former students and parents of students, we are forever grateful.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source