Friends –

I come from a family of educators. As I grew up, I saw not only how wide-ranging teachers’ skills have to be, but also how hard they work to support our children in our communities. Watching the educators close to me – in my family and in our public schools – I learned that our teachers are heroes.

Our whole country is realizing that helping students succeed is so much more than showing up with a book and a blackboard.

That means today is a very special National Teachers’ Day, friends.

It’s a day to honor the hard work people are putting in over kitchen tables and in living rooms across the nation to meet our students’ needs during a once-in-a-century crisis.

And it’s also a day when millions more Americans know firsthand how much patience and knowledge and compassion our professional teachers give to their students – day after day, year after year.

That’s why I’m continuing to focus on education at the legislature. That’s why we need to stand strong behind the Student Success Act and make sure that our teachers and schools have the resources they need. We need a 21st century approach that supports science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM). We need well-funded schools that prioritize equity and make sure that our most vulnerable students are not left behind. And we need to make higher education accessible for everyone.

All of these programs rely on a cohort of smart, enthusiastic, creative teachers. Today is about honoring teachers and education support professionals for all they do and all we count on them for. And tomorrow, and every day after that, we’ll keep fighting for them and the students they serve.

Today, please take a few minutes to call, text, or log on to social media to thank a teacher in your life!

Rob