布什在美国国家教师奖颁奖仪式上的演讲(2)
I wish the First Lady would be here today， she is —— she reminds me on a daily basis of the importance of being a teacher. When I married her she was a public school librarian.
This year's National Teacher of the Year understands the need to make sure no child gets left behind. He's made extraordinary contributions to his students， two of whom are with us today. I'm so honored that both these gentlemen came from California all the way over here to Washington to honor a teacher. It says a lot about our honoree.
This is a man who spent more than 25 years serving his country in the United States Army. Colonel Veatch， after serving the Army， turned to teaching over a decade ago. He now teaches social studies at Coachella Valley High in Thermal， California， where the overwhelming number of his students come from migrant families.
Chauncey Veatch is known as a kind an courteous， a tireless worker， a team player， a man who has transformed the school in which he works and the community in which he lives. Nearly all of the students at Coachella Valley High School are Hispanic. Y por eso， Mr. Veatch， hablo espanol. （Laughter.） He speaks Spanish. He uses the language to communicate with his students and to show respect for a culture. He's involved in many after school programs and community events. In short， he's changed a lot of lives for the better.
Through Chauncey Veatch's efforts， students long considered discipline problems started showing up on the honor roll. A teen with a learning disability who read at the elementary school level became an active participant in class. Boys dropped out of gangs to join the Cadet Corps， the student campus security force that he helped organize.
One migrant student at the high school had to work with his family until November， but Mr. Veatch saved him a place in his class and then spent hours with the student helping him catch up. According to this young many， “Mr. Veatch does this for all of his migrant students.” No child will be left behind.
Mr. Veatch's former principal， Rick Alvarez， has paid this tribute to him. “Believing our students can succeed，” Rick says， “is not a desire or a facade， but is actually something Chauncey lives. This caring can be seen in his eyes and heard in his voice and felt in his presence， and mostly seen in his actions.”
Chauncey Veatch says his mission as a teacher is to be “a dream maker for my students， not a dream breaker.” He understands that parents of every background share the same dreams for their children —— dreams of improvement and independence and hope. “To dream is to be filled with hope，” he says， “I know this because I see the faces of hope daily.”
We want all our schools and all our teachers and principals to look at our children and see the faces of hope. And that's exactly what the teachers we honor today have done， on a daily basis.
Mr. Veatch， for teaching is not just a career， it is a high calling； it's a form of service to children and to a nation he loves. He has served both the children and our country extraordinarily well， and it is my honor to present Chauncey Veatch the National Teacher of the Year Award. Congratulations. （Applause.）
