Bill Clinton: “California July 5, 1993 Thank you very much. Thank you for the warm reception you gave to the First Lady and to…”

“California July 5, 1993 Thank you very much. Thank you for the warm reception you gave to the First Lady and to Secretary Riley. Thank you for inviting me back. You know, last year when we were in Washington I was out in the crowd over there by the Nebraska delegation. Where are the Nebraska teachers this year, over there? And where are the teachers from Arkansas? Over there. Thank you. Always a rowdy group. [Laughter] I want to thank all of you who teach our children, staff our schools, lead our communities, and build our future. I am very grateful for the support you gave in the campaign of 1992, grateful for the support and the work you continue to do as we work our way through the changes this Nation has to make in the Congress and in the country. But most of all, I want to say at the outset, what I tried to say all along the way last year: Perhaps more than any person who ever sought this job, I spent my apprenticeship in the schools of my State, in the schools of this country, listening to teachers talking with children, learning from principals, trying to inspire people everywhere to work together for reform. And I want to thank you most of all for your clear and simple devotion to the work of teaching. While I was thinking about this speech, I received a quote from the novel, ``The Prince of Tides.'' Secretary Riley gave it to me. I want to give him full credit. He'll probably have to take the blame for a thing or two along the way.…”