President Trump on Wednesday praised what he called the vital role played by teachers, telling a crowd of educators he was in awe of their tireless dedication to the country’s children.
“Such an important job. There is no more important job,” said Mr. Trump the reception, an annual event at the White House for the teacher of the year from every state, territory and Washington, D.C.
The president presented the 2018 National Teacher of the Year award to Mandy Manning, a former Peace Corps worker who is an English and math teacher teaching refugee and immigrant students in Spokane, Washington.
He called it a “truly special award.”
“Teachers like Mandy play a vital role in the wellbeing of our children, the strength of our communities and the success of our nation,” said Mr. Trump. “The job of a teacher is not only to instruct the next generation of workers but the next generation of citizens, to teach out children to care for others, to think for themselves, to love their country, to be proud of our history and to be true pillars of their families and their communities.”
The president said he was inspired by teachers gathered in the East Room.
“Your’e tireless dedication does not just inspire you students, it inspires all of us and I can tell you it inspires me,” said Mr. Trump.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.