Hawkins’ Testerman attends first Teachers of the Year State Dinner hosted by First Lady Jill Biden
WASHINGTON (WJHL) – First Lady Jill Biden and Rogersville City School’s Missy Testerman sat at the same dinner table Thursday.
The First Lady hosted the first “Teachers of the Year” State Dinner at the White House. The dinner honored Missy Testerman, the current National Teacher of the Year, and other teachers committed to education.
As an educator herself, Biden was delighted to host this special evening.
“Tonight, we celebrate you, because teaching isn’t just a job. It’s a calling, and all of you were called to this profession for a reason,” Biden said.
Testerman, who is currently mentioned on the official White House website for her achievements, spoke at the event.
“Hearing the experiences of my students and their families reminds me daily what a privilege it is to be an American and what a privilege it is to attend a public school in this country,” Testerman said.
Testerman later called teachers the “ultimate facilitators of justice, fairness, equity, and democracy.”
“We hold the future of the country in our hands, just as every generation of teachers before us has done,” Testerman said. “It is a charge that we take seriously and we will deliver, just as legions of teachers before us have.”
President Joe Biden also made an appearance at the event.
Testerman was named 2024 National Teacher of the Year in April. She is the director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program and a teacher in Hawkins County, and she is currently in her 32nd year.
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