Jill Biden Toasts Educators in State Dinner
Jill Biden Toasts Educators in State Dinner
First-ever White House National Teachers of the Year State Dinner honors 2024 recipients.
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden saluted public school teachers from across the country, including United States territories, Thursday in the White House’s first-ever National Teachers of the Year State Dinner.
“Tonight, we celebrate you,” Biden said. “Because teaching isn’t just a job. It’s a calling.”
In a nod to teacher unions, Biden said educators believe a better world is possible and make that world real. “None of that could happen without the support of our unions," the first lady said. Ahead of the dinner and Teacher Appreciation Week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced new efforts to strengthen the teaching profession and support schools across the country.
Biden commended teachers who redid their lesson plans overnight during the pandemic, who support military children starting over at new schools, and who help guide students to find career paths through dual enrollment and hands-on learning science labs and carpentry classrooms.
“You look at your students and don’t just see who they are today—you see all the possibility of tomorrow,” Biden said.
As a classroom teacher for more than 30 years, Biden continues to teach English and writing at Northern Virginia Community College, where she has been a professor since 2009. From championing teacher recruitment and retention, opportunities for career-connected learning, and more affordable options for education after high school, including free community college, Dr. Biden continues to shine a spotlight on educators and the teaching profession. This is the fourth year Biden has welcomed the National and State Teachers of the Year for a celebration at the White House.
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the U.S. Department of Education, American Federation of Teachers, and the National Education Association support the event. CCSSO oversees the National Teacher of the Year Program, which identifies exceptional teachers across the country, recognizes their effective work in the classroom, engages them in a year of professional learning and amplifies their voices.
Prior to her remarks, Biden, wearing a floor-length, sequined black dress with silver and pink flowers sewn on it, walked out of the Blue Room doors and into the Cross Hall to mark her official arrival to the Teachers of the Year State Dinner. She was accompanied by Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and the 2024 Teacher of the Year, Missy Testerman of Tennessee. The trio walked into the White House East Room together.
Guests for the black-tie event were already seated in the East Room prior to Dr. Biden's arrival. Musical entertainment was provided by the United States Army Chorus with the Army and Air Force Strings.
Earlier in the evening, the honorees and guests walked through Booksellers—the traditional state dinner arrival route. They posed for photos in front of a wooden step-and-repeat set up to resemble bookshelves. The backdrop was adorned with “Teachers of the Year State Dinner” in white cursive lettering. Irises were placed in vases made from pencils.
Also spotted was Chasten Buttigieg, who came through arrivals with his husband Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Cardona noted that state dinners have "been reserved for kings and queens and presidents and prime ministers." He added that tonight's event shows teachers deserve "a level of national respect that is long overdue."
Biden then turned her attention to Testerman, the national teacher of the year. For the last 31 years, the first lady said, Testerman has supported students not just as learners but also as community members.
“When their families need help going to the bank, she takes them. When students need to learn how to make a phone call, she teaches them. When the plumbing was making the entire school smell—she brought educators and community members together to get it fixed,” Biden said.
Specifically, the first lady called out a special program Testerman implemented called Bootcamp Academy where she turned the first six weeks of school into prep time that allowed students to learn how to understand questions and expectations. “So, they can learn how to learn,” Biden said. “Her students thrived.”
Testerman also gave brief remarks. She spoke about how teaching is the most important profession "because we create every profession."
First Lady Jill Biden and Social Secretary Carlos Elizondo worked with White House Chief Floral Designer Hedieh Ghaffarian to create a guest experience that included notable décor such as:
A brass bell from Dr. Biden, continuing a tradition she started in 2021 in honor of her grandmother, a fellow educator and the person who inspired her to become a teacher.
The iris is the official state flower of Tennessee, representing Testerman’s home state. It was incorporated in the floral arrangements at the head table and on the bookcase featured in the East Garden Room where guests enter.
A personalized gold painted apple served as the place card holder at the place settings.
Organized by each teacher’s school principal, when each of the 2024 Teachers of the Year arrive to their seat, they were surprised with a handmade, personalized thank you note from their students, fellow teachers, and school leadership.
The official flags of the states and territories of the 2024 State Teachers of the Year lined the East Portico entrance, greeting honorees and guests upon arrival to the White House.
The first lady worked with White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford and White House Executive Pastry Chef Susie Morrison to develop the menu for the State Dinner that included:
First course: Lady apple, walnut, and celery root salad; fennel carpaccio; and lemon lavender emulsion
Main course: Lobster ravioli, shaved artichoke crisps, parsley sauce
Dessert trio: Strawberries and cream, honey-poached apple mousse, coconut custard cake with nectarines
Wine: Stonestreet Chardonnay “Estate” 2019, Penner-Ash Pinot Noir “Willamette Valley” 2021 and Jacqueline Leonne Brut
Marine One, the aircraft that transports the president, could be heard landing as Testerman finished her speech, concluding it in a toast for the first lady.
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