Teacher Appreciation Week

Mister Speaker, I rise today to honor our teachers during National Appreciation Week.

Teachers do not merely just teach in the classroom --- they listen to their students and gently push them to reach their full potential. Teachers serve as role models and mentors.  Because of the mentorship of my teachers in high school, I applied for college. I was fortunate to be given a full basketball scholarship, an opportunity that I would not have known about if it weren’t for my teachers. Upon graduating, I decided to give back to my community and become a teacher.

New Jersey has among the most talented teachers in the country and our students are lucky to learn from them. While we are honoring them this week, we should be thankful for their service every day. We trust teachers with our most valuable resource--- our children.

While we ask teachers to prepare our children to meet the challenges of the 21st Century, we must give them the tools to rise to these challenges. Competitive salaries and financial resources must be provided. Let’s join together in recognizing our teachers in New Jersey and across the country.

Take the time to thank your teachers for their leadership and inspiration.