Teacher Appreciation Week

Floor Speech

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Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise in recognition of educators in Hawaii as well as across the Nation who are dedicating--have dedicated--their lives to the benefit of the children of our country.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. And as this administration attacks education and educators, it is more important than ever that we recognize our educators and thank them for all that they do on behalf of our children.

I have spoken before on the floor of this body on the fundamental importance of public education in my own life, having come here as an immigrant speaking no English from very humble beginnings.

I thank my teachers at Kaahumanu Elementary School, Koko Head Elementary School, and especially the librarian at Koko Head Elementary School who awakened my love of reading. They helped me to learn English and helped set me on a course that ultimately led to the U.S. Senate.

Today, teachers like Chayanee Brooks, an English teacher at Ka'u High School and Pahala Elementary on Hawaii Island, continue to educate and inspire Hawaii's youth. Chayanee, a Thai immigrant, is a nationally board-certified teacher. And, believe me, to become a nationally board- certified teacher, one must go through a lot of steps. But this certification indicates what an exceptional teacher she is.

She has been recognized as her complex area's Teacher of the Year, as Hawaii State teacher fellow, and as a Pulitzer Center teacher fellow. Just last month, she was recognized by the Hawaii State Teachers Association for her work to engage with and uplift the work of the voices of her students in her rural community.

Chayanee has said that her philosophy as an educator is simple:

Empower students to connect with their community and their own potential through storytelling.

Chayanee has created a welcoming space for her students to express themselves and share their stories through creative avenues like journalism and documentary storytelling, where they highlight topics such as family separation and mental health. You know that these are areas that the students not only care about but have experienced in their own lives.

In addition to supporting her own students, Chayanee helps train other teachers to use storytelling as a tool to engage students in their own classrooms.

She is just one of the many teachers in our country who go above and beyond for their students and their communities. Teachers like Chayanee do more than educate students. They are role models and mentors, providing a safe, nurturing space for our children to learn and to grow. That is why it is so important that we support teachers and the vital--often underappreciated work--that they do.

We all remember during the COVID times that suddenly all our kids were at home. Believe me, there were a lot of people appreciating teachers particularly during that time. But it shouldn't just be at a time such as COVID. It should be all the time that we appreciate the exceptional work and commitment that so many of our teachers have to our students' education.

But Trump and his administration are hell-bent on doing everything they can to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and undermine public education in our country. He and his Republican buddies want to take away Federal support for local schools, hundreds of millions of dollars--in fact, billions of dollars--money that provides services for students and parents, supports students with disabilities, and helps keep our children fed.

Trump is also threatening to cut funding from schools that won't comply with his draconian Executive orders--his obsession to stamp out diversity, equity, and inclusion in our public schools; Executive orders that direct our schools to stop teaching entire chapters of our Nation's history like the Civil War, African-American history, and the history of immigrants in our country.

That is just a part of the obsession that this administration has to stamp out diversity, equity, and inclusion in every arena.

We heard from teachers, parents, and students in Hawaii and across the country about the consequences of Trump's actions--the firing of people, what they are trying to get our schools to not teach--and they have told us in two words: ``It's chaos.'' Much like everything else Trump touches and does, chaos follows.

Just this week, Homeland Security agents terrorized a group of teachers from the Philippines living and working on Maui. They were invited to come to Maui to teach in our schools for a period of time. And despite these teachers being here legally in our country, the teachers were detained by Homeland Security and targeted before being allowed to go about their business. That is called terrorizing people, plain and simple. So instead of supporting teachers, Trump is making it even harder for them to do their jobs, and our children will be the ones stuck paying the price.

A strong education system is fundamental to building a strong democracy, a strong economy, and a strong middle class. At the heart of our education system is, of course, our educators. That is why I and my Democratic colleagues are committed to supporting our educators, strengthening our schools, and ensuring every child--every child--has the opportunity to learn and grow regardless of where they come from, their income, their disability--whatever their background. Every child should have that opportunity to grow and, you know, really seek their dreams.

Teachers can make a lasting impression in the lives of their students. In fact, I just had lunch with some of my interns in my office, and one of them said that she will never forget the encouragement from one of her college professors when she expressed some doubts about her success at her school, which happened to be Berkeley. This teacher said: You have a lot of years ahead of you. You know, believe in yourself. You can take risks, but go forward. She had a lot of years ahead of her to determine what she wanted to do with her life. So this intern in my office found this to be very encouraging.

That is what I mean about teachers having a profound impact on the life choices that their students make and how they think about themselves in this world. So I extend my gratitude to every teacher in Hawaii and across the country who continues to provide the kind of teaching experience that enables our students to have faith in themselves, to learn, and to understand that, you know, life has a lot in store for them.

I hope that a lot of these students will become teachers themselves, will become educators, and will be the kinds of teachers who will provide the kind of support that every student needs and deserves.

So ``mahalo'' to all of our educators across our country for all that you do both in and out of your classrooms and for the commitment that you have to our Nation's children, our families, and our communities.

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