Jill Biden: The Nation’s Top Teachers Will Be Celebrated with a State Dinner
First lady surprises the Teacher of the Year and Michelle Obama lauds Beyoncé while urging people to vote.
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In a surprise visit to the set of “CBS Mornings,” First Lady Dr. Jill Biden Wednesday congratulated the nation’s newly named top teacher, Missy Testerman of Tennessee, and announced that Testerman and other top educators for the first time will be honored at the White House with their own state dinner.
“I’ve been teaching over 30 years, just like Missy has, and I always say teachers are our heroes,” said Biden, herself a teacher.
State dinners are a diplomatic gesture usually reserved for heads of state. On April 10, the White House will host a state dinner for Japan and on May 23, for Kenya. A date for the state dinner Biden announced for teachers has yet to be determined.
“When you come to the White House, we are going to have a state dinner for the teachers,” Biden said, seated next to Testerman. “So, you’ll have to pick your dress.”
Testerman, holding a bouquet of flowers given to her from Biden, was touched by her visit and the announcement.
“I know how devoted you are to teaching and continuing to teach even when you are the first lady of the United States—first one ever to do that,” Testerman said. “I know we share the joy that is to be found in education.”
“We do,” Biden responded.
Missy Testerman, the 2024 Tennessee Teacher of the Year, is an English-as-a-second-language specialist and program director who works to ensure students are prepared to advocate for their limited English proficient families. In her rural Appalachian community, she builds bridges between cultures—families who have been in the area for centuries and newer immigrants—through a curriculum focused on a study of Americans from diverse backgrounds, allowing students to better understand that people are inherently the same and that they all belong, according to the The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).
The CCSSO runs the National Teacher of the Year Program. Each year, states, U.S. extra-state territories, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity select outstanding educators to serve as State Teachers of the Year. From a cohort of 55 State Teachers of the Year, the National Teacher of the Year Selection Committee, comprising 16 individuals and education organizations, selected finalists based on written applications.
Michelle Obama’s Instagram Shout Out to Beyoncé Also Reminds People to Vote
On Tuesday, former First Lady Michelle Obama took to Instagram praising Beyoncé for the vocalist’s history-making and record-breaking new album “Cowboy Carter.”
“With ‘Cowboy Carter,’ you have changed the game once again by helping redefine a music genre and transform our culture,” Obama said in her post. “I am so proud of you!”
Both streaming services Spotify and Amazon Music announced that “Cowboy Carter” broke records. Spotify posted on Instagram that the album became Spotify’s most-streamed in a single day in 2024 so far.
Obama went on to say that the album “is a reminder that despite everything we’ve been through to be heard, seen, and recognized, we can still dance, sing, and be who we are unapologetically. This album reminds us that we ALL have power. There’s power in our history, in our joy, and in our votes—and we can each use our own gifts and talents to make our voices heard on the issues that matter most to us.”
The former first lady took the opportunity to encourage people to stand up for what they believe in and to do so by registering to vote and exercising that choice at the ballot box in this presidential election year.
“The issues that impact us most are on the ballot across the country—from equal pay and racial justice to reproductive healthcare and climate change,” Obama wrote. “And as Queen Bey says at the end of Ya Ya, we need to “keep the faith” and “VOTE!”
The New York Times
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The Hollywood Reporter
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April 3, 2024 — Lin-Manuel Miranda returned to Broadway on Wednesday night to host a fundraiser, alongside Hillary Clinton, for President Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 election. Read more
The 19th
The Ever-evolving Role of First Lady — and How Jill Biden Is Using Her Voice in 2024
April 3, 2024 — It’s hard to be the first lady. In her book “American Woman: The Transformation of the Modern First Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden,” New York Times White House correspondent Katie Rogers maps out the unique challenges that infuse and define the job of the nation’s most visible political spouse—and the way it has been defined and redefined multiple times over in the past few decades alone. Read more
East Wing Magazine
Jill Biden’s ‘EGG-ucational’ Easter Egg Roll
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CNN Politics
Melania Trump’s Role in the 2024 Campaign Remains Up in the Air
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Atlanta News First
First Lady Jill Biden Surprises Clayton County High School Marching Band in Video Call
March 29, 2024 — Jonesboro High School’s Majestic Marching Cardinals prepare for a performance at the 2024 White House Easter Egg Roll on April 1. View here