Jill and Joe Biden addressed the National Education Association assembly today.

I think he ended his portion particularly strongly:

Let me close with this.  So many of us are here, at least in part, because somewhere along the way an educator believed in us, helped us believe in ourselves.

I know that was the case for me in grade school, high school, and in college.  I used to stutter very badly.  I had teachers in grade school and then in high school who convinced me it couldn’t define me, I wouldn’t let it define me.  And they helped me.

I had a professor at the University of Delaware who became one of my great — he’s the reason I ran.  I didn’t think I could.  I didn’t think I should.  And he’d talk — he said, “Remember what Plato said, Joe?”  I’m trying to think, “What the hell did Plato say?” 

But what he said was — (laughter) — to paraphrase him, he said, “The penalty good people pay for not being involved in politics is being governed by people worse themselves.  Run, Joe.  Run.”

That’s the power of a great educator.  (Applause.)  No, I really mean it.  Think about — all of you have somebody — somebody in your education who was just there for you, gave you confidence.
We owe our nation’s educators so much.  And I’m here to say, we have your back.  We’re committed to supporting all of you, just like you support the nation’s future and our children.  

 

Here’s the full transcript of their speeches, and here’s the video: