Ted Poe: “``Thank a Teacher.'' Mr. Speaker, we have all seen that bumper sticker. I come from a family of teachers. My mother…”

“``Thank a Teacher.'' Mr. Speaker, we have all seen that bumper sticker. I come from a family of teachers. My mother, mother-in-law, wife, and three of my four kids are teachers by profession. When a special little girl, Kara, was in the third grade, she and her parents noticed her difficulty in processing words. Her speech pattern affected her self-esteem, her self-worth, and even her weight. Some kids made fun of her. Mrs. Morgan, the third grade teacher, was determined to help the little girl speak better. With hard work, the little girl and teacher overcame the word problem. The student graduated as high school valedictorian. She obtained her bachelor's and master's degrees. She also obtained a Ph.D. There is more. Today, that little girl received notice that she is tenured as an associate professor at Baylor University in the department of, yes, English. For you see, Kara Poe Alexander, our daughter, the little girl that had trouble talking, has a Ph.D. in English rhetoric, the study of words. Congratulations, Kara, on being tenured faculty. And thank you, Mrs. Morgan, a teacher. And that's just the way it is. ____________________”