Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Delivers Remarks At The Arkansas Teacher Of The Year Recognition Event

well welcome welcome to an exciting day to the 2025 Arkansas teacher of the year recognition program this is something that I know when we put on our calendar everybody within our agency I think all of our school administrators and most importantly our Educators across the state get very excited because we know we're going to take the time and opportunity to recognize not just the talent that's in our classrooms each and every single day but the best of the best of the best and what when we think about what that represents I did a little bit of Statistics in math and it always makes me nervous so I I had some other people double check my math but if if we have about 35,000 teachers in the state of Arkansas to be named in the top 14 that means you represent 0.4% so that is a big [Applause] deal and anytime I I get a chance to meet with some of our great Educators across the state I always even reflect on the teachers that had a great impact on me and a lot of us that go into education went into education because we had that one teacher that made those special connections with us and that is who we always aspired to be so I hope uh to our finalists here today as you're reflecting on your journey to how you ended up here at this table that you take a time to reflect and even if you have an opportunity to think those teach teachers that inspired you along the way cuz I know it it means a lot when we ever whenever we can take the time out and appreciate them for what they do but I also want to recognize some important dignitaries that have joined us here today we have some representatives from the legislature that we're grateful for if you want to stand and give away I know Brooks here and some others may be here but don't be bashful I said maybe there's a correlation between the legislature but these teachers no classroom management they will keep you under control so we're not worried about that and we also have some of our state board members that were here able to join us today if you could stand and be [Applause] recognized and most importantly we also want to take a minute to thank the Walton Family Foundation for continuing to invest in in the schools here in the state of Arkansas and making sure that we host an event like this and do it right and do it well so we're really appreciate their ongoing commitment and support but without further Ado there's a dignitary I'd like to invite to come up to the podium and this is somebody that has made improving education in the state a priority and when we know of a governor that has a passion and conviction like Governor Sanders we know that the best thing we can do as a state is is to invest in our teachers and she stands steadfast and committed to supporting our teachers across across the state which is why she's going to be known as educational Governor so without further Ado I'd like for you to all join me and welcoming our 47th governor of the great state of Arkansas Sarah [Applause] H good morning morning thank you all for being here Jacob uh was trying to claim that this was his house a few minutes ago so if anybody sees him carrying Luggage in please uh help stop that from happening we are so excited to be here and uh to welcome all of you to Arkansas's Governor's Mansion and to celebrate the great achievements of some of the best and brightest Educators that we have here from around the state uh as many of you know I grew up in this house and now as the first woman and Mom to serve as Arkansas's Governor I have the opportunity to raise my own kids here in fact this is the house that my family has lived longer than any other so being here really feels like home for our family sometimes maybe a little too much like home you all work in classrooms and deal with kids every day so you can understand the chaos that often our three kids can cause uh our children are 12 10 and nine and when there are not tables in this room uh there are Nerf bullets and all kinds of other games that uh take place but when we're welcoming guests we really try hard to keep it respectable and as we invite people through the doors want to make sure they have a special appear experience but sometimes my kids have other ideas when I first started as governor and I was showing some visitors around the governor's mansion and walking them through some of the spots on the main floor I pled pointed to this beautiful old grandfather clock that's in the living room him upstairs and I was giving them the history and letting them know that it was made in Ireland in 1770 and told the group that I was giving the tour to that it was the oldest thing anywhere in the governor's mansion my wonderful loving eight-year-old son George quickly pointed out as he was joining us on the tour and I was sharing this fun fact that he thought I was the oldest thing in the governor's mansion so it just goes to show you that no matter what your job is your kids will always find a way to keep you humble so as you can imagine I know many of you were preparing to get ready to go back to school we are definitely ready for back to school at our house we have our hands full but I'm glad that uh we have the opportunity because it gives me such great perspective as a parent um and such great appreciation for those of you who spend all day every day in the classroom preparing the next generation of young Aransas and I want to start by thanking one of Arkansas's best and strongest advocates for Education our outgoing teacher of the year Capri who has done a fantastic job Capri please stand up and be repr we are sad to see you go but not entirely because we're very excited that she will now be transitioning from the classroom to being full-time at the Department of Education where we are going to have the uh privilege of tapping her expertise for many many years to come so thank you uh for your great service in the classroom but also for your continued commitment to education and joining us at the department so we can continue to help so many additional students also excited to welcome uh and host our new teacher of the year who you will get to hear a lot from Bo mastan who is coming in this year I had the opportunity to surprise Bo in his classroom last fall when we got to make the announcement I'm just glad uh that today B's wearing a suit uh because when I went to surprise him at his school it was homecoming week and it was pajama day and so I think this is a better look though I gotta say but uh one of his biggest focuses on is on Career and Technical education and he started a student run TV news program and it's somebody who has been interviewed by journalists from literally all over the world Bo you are doing a great job because those kids ask very tough questions um and clearly um they were not messing around because the day I came in I tried to operate the camera and they shut me down very quickly and told me that I could take my seat on the other side so uh bo we know you're training some very bright and tough future journalists which we're excited to see them continue to excel but as you step into this new role um and we have the opportunity today to recognize 14 Regional finalists for next year's teacher of the year I know that as you step into this role you will help uh and be able to really recognize and Lead these 14 individuals your cohort includes Educators like Tanya ing from stutgart who started her school's summer bookmobile 10 years ago she and a colleague borrowed a food service van from the district to address summer learning loss they literally drove around their Community with books that students could check out like a library and very smartly they also added popsicles because they knew that that could help lure some of those kids in to take both a book and a snack over the past decade she has helped distribute more than 10 ,000 books to more than 5,000 kids fostering a love for reading one book and frankly one popsicle at a time this group also includes Ricky Ms from Bryant uh excited about that one my aunt was an English teacher 7eventh grade English teacher in Bryant for nearly two decades so a special place Ricky's earliest history lessons came at the feet of his grandfather listening to him talk about serving in the second world war today Ricky is sharing those same important lessons with his students he's invited Holocaust Survivors to schools across the state started a partnership with the Anne Frank Center in New York and helped craft our state's first ever Holocaust Education course each of you that are here in this room and being recognized are changing the trajectory of your students lives that's why we made recruiting and retaining the top teachers from around the country here in Arkansas when we wrote Arkansas learns we focused on things like raising teacher pay from 48 in the nation to top five overnight and made sure that we invested by giving every teacher at least a $2,000 raise we created a merit system and we just awarded for the first time ever $10 million in Merit pay bonuses to 3,000 teachers from around the state ranging from $1,500 all the way up to $10,000 to some of our best and brightest Educators those bonuses are focused on things like student growth instead of just outcomes to highlight the teachers who are helping so many struggling kids catch up with their peers we also launched scholarships for a scholarships for aspiring students or aspiring teachers and student loan repayment for educators in area with a teacher shortage and one of my favorites up to 12 weeks of paid maternity leave for public school teachers I'm proud that Arkansas is now one of only four states in the nation to offer that much leave especially considering that more than 70% of the Educators in our state are women but I also believe that the greatest and frankly the most important thing that we can do to show how much we appreciate our teachers is simply say thank you and recognize and honor the profession that you have chosen and that's why we have gathered here today is so that we can personally thank you for your service and for your commitment to the students across our state thank you for investing in the Next Generation thank you for pouring your time your energy and your enthusiasm into Arkansas's students and congratulations on your selection as a finalist from me from every Arkansas parent and from our entire State we are proud of you and we are so so grateful for your service to Arkansas thank you for being here today and [Applause] congratulations good morning my name is Bill Masten I'm the 2024 Arkansas State teacher of the year uh just so honored to be here today and uh honored to introduce our 14 Regional finalist but first I want to thank God who for some reason continues to bless me much more than I deserve I want to thank my wife Dedra who was my compass and anchor in life and for 15 years uh she made the sacrifices required of her coach's life of a coach's wife and now because of me she's once again making some of those same sacrifices a special thank you goes to my dqv Knuckleheads and our entire leopard family back home some of which were even here with us today um I've said it before and I'll say it again this is not my success story it's our success story thank you secretary Oliva and uh state board members uh 2023 a toy Capri Salam 2022 a toy Jessica Sal uh and the entire team at Desy in the Department of Education you have uh welcomed me with open arms and your commitment to students and teachers across the state truly inspires me last but certainly not least Governor Sanders I want to thank you for your commitment to elevating the teaching profession in our state and and the work that you and your team continue to do for teachers and students across our state I also though want to thank you for allowing me back in your home this time last year I sat in these same seats as a 14 Regional finalist are uh today the day was just a blur because of my nerves uh being out of my element uh I was in a car back to the queen before I could even start really processing what all had just happened which leads me to what I want to share today I know some of you may be feeling out of your comfort zone Zack Bryan opens a song burn burn burn with the following lyrics everyone seems a genius lately tick Tok talking late night TV there's still so much I have yet to know we get dressed up to go downtown in some fancy dress late night crowd it seems to be where I feel most alone in that last line Brian refers to being out of his country Zone we can probably all relate to that today cuz trust me this was not on my to-do list this time last year we may be feeling a little overwhelmed out of our own Comfort zones but because our comfort zones are noisy hallways and busy classrooms hot sweaty stinky school buses the sounds of Friday Night Lights crowded musty gyms that smell like St popcorn and of course the organized chaos of the kindergarten car rer L our comfort zones are are walking by The Choir room in late August wondering if that's really how it's supposed to sound and then walking by the same class in April and hearing nothing but sweet AC capella Harmony our comfort zone is taking the extra time and compassion to investigate one that second grade boy a class leader who excels at reading is suddenly struggling in and out of the classroom after a few modifications conversations with his parents and a trip to the eye doctor we proudly watch him transform back into the confident boy that his classmates love our comfort zone is filling the Gap as a senior who has just lost her mother and suffered severe injuries herself collapses in our arms overcome with grief our comfort zone is a few weeks later watching proudly as that same student finds the strength to walk across the stage to accept her diploma and takes the first step to becoming the first in her family to attend college she does so because her mom would want her there and even though her mom is not there she knows that her mom is there as all of you know teaching is so much more than filling up the tanks with knowledge we are responsible for filling hearts with hope and transforming lives those experiences I just shared and thousands more like them are your comfort zones and because of those experience the governor's mansion is also your cover Zone so I want all 14 of you take a deep breath and I'm still taking one now take in your surroundings make sure you don't let a second of today go to waste because you may feel a little uncomfortable cherish every single second because every single one of you deserves to be here you deserve to be here because of the lives you've been transforming you're not just teachers you're Transformers and today we are celebrating you so cheers to you 14 of the finest teachers AKA Transformers in the state of Arkansas