During remarks on the Senate floor Thursday, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) spoke about President Trump's executive orders on universities.
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00:00Mr. President. Senator from Hawaii. Mr. President, I rise in recognizing educators in Hawaii as well as across the nation who are dedicating, have dedicated their lives to the benefit of the children of our country.
00:17This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and as this administration attacks education and educators, it is more important than ever that we recognize our educators and thank them for all that they do on behalf of our children.
00:35I have spoken before on the floor of this body on the fundamental importance of public education in my own life, having come here as an immigrant, speaking no English, very humble beginnings, and I thank my teachers at Ka'ahumano Elementary School, Cocoa Head Elementary School, and especially the librarian at Cocoa Head Elementary School who awakened my love of reading.
01:02They helped me to learn English, and they helped to set me on a course that ultimately led to the United States Senate.
01:12Today, teachers like Shayani Brooks, an English teacher at Ka'u High School and Bahala Elementary on Hawaii Island, continue to educate and inspire Hawaii's youth.
01:26Shayani, a Thai immigrant, is a nationally board-certified teacher, and to become a nationally certified teacher, one must go through a lot of steps, but this certification indicates what an exceptional teacher she is.
01:42And she has been recognized as her complex area teacher of the year, as Hawaii State Teacher Fellow, and a Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellow.
01:55And just last month, she was recognized by the Hawaii State Teachers Association for her work to engage with and uplift the work, or the voices of her students in her rural community.
02:08Shayani has said that her philosophy as an educator is simple, quote, empower students to connect with the community and their own potential through storytelling, end quote.
02:25Shayani has created a welcoming space for her students to express themselves and share their stories through creative avenues like journalism and documentary storytelling,
02:36where they highlight topics such as family separation and mental health.
02:42And you know that these are areas that the students not only care about, but have experienced in their own lives.
02:50So in addition to supporting her own students, Shayani helps train other teachers to use storytelling as a tool to engage students in their own classrooms.
03:01She is just one of the many teachers in our country who go above and beyond for their students and their communities.
03:12Teachers like Shayani do more than educate students.
03:15They are role models and mentors, providing a safe, nurturing space for our children to learn and to grow.
03:25And that is why it is so important that we support teachers and the vital, often underappreciated work that they do.
03:34We all remember during the COVID times and suddenly all our kids were at home.
03:41Believe me, there were a lot of people appreciating teachers, particularly during that time.
03:46But it shouldn't just be at a time such as COVID, but it should be all the time that we appreciate the exceptional work and commitment that so many of our teachers have to our students and to education.
03:58But Donald Trump and his administration are hell-bent on doing everything they can to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and undermine public education in our country.
04:10He and his Republican buddies want to take away federal support for local schools, hundreds of millions of dollars, in fact billions of dollars, money that provides services for students and parents, supports students with disabilities, and helps keep our children fed.
04:30Trump is also threatening to cut funding from schools that won't comply with his draconian executive orders, his obsession to stamp out diversity, equity, and inclusion in our public schools.
04:49Executive orders that direct our schools to stop teaching entire chapters of our nation's history, like the Civil War,
04:59African American history, African American history, and the history of immigrants in our country.
05:06That's just a part of the obsession that this administration has to stamp out diversity, equity, and inclusion in every arena.
05:20We've heard from teachers, parents, and students in Hawaii and across the country about the consequences of Trump's actions.
05:28The firing of people, the firing of people, what they're trying to get our schools to not teach.
05:35And they have told us, in two words, it's chaos.
05:39Much like everything else, Trump touches and does.
05:43Chaos follows.
05:45Just this week, Homeland Security agents terrorized a group of teachers from the Philippines living and working on Maui.
05:53They were invited to come to Maui to teach in our schools for a period of time.
06:00And despite these teachers being here legally in our country, the teachers were detained by Homeland Security and integrated before being allowed to go about their business.
06:16That is called terrorizing people.
06:19Plain and simple.
06:20So instead of supporting teachers, Trump is making it even harder for them to do their jobs.
06:27And our children will be the ones stuck paying the price.
06:32Mr. President, a strong education system is fundamental to building a strong democracy, a strong economy, a strong middle class.
06:43At the heart of our education system is, of course, our educators.
06:47That is why I and my Democratic colleagues are committed to supporting our educators, strengthening our schools, and ensuring every child, every child has the opportunity to learn and grow, regardless of where they come from, income, disability, whatever their background.
07:09Every child should have that opportunity to grow and, you know, really seek their dreams.
07:18Mr. President, teachers can make a lasting impression on the lives of their students.
07:24In fact, I just had lunch with some of my interns in my office, and one of them said that she will never forget the encouragement from one of her college professors when she expects some doubts about her success at her school, which happened to be Berkeley.
07:39And this teacher said, you have a lot of years ahead of you.
07:42You know, believe in yourself.
07:44You can take risks, but to go forward.
07:48She had a lot of years ahead of her to determine what she wanted to do with her life.
07:54So this intern in my office found this to be very encouraging.
07:58But that is what I mean about teachers can have a profound impact on life choices that their students make, on what they and how they think about themselves in this world.
08:09And so I extend my gratitude to every teacher in Hawaii and across the country who continue to provide the kind of teaching experience that enables our students to have faith in themselves,
08:25to learn, to understand that, you know, that life has a lot in store for them.
08:32And I hope that a lot of these students become teachers themselves, become educators, be the kind of teacher that will provide the kind of support that every student needs and deserves.
08:46So mahalo to all of our educators across our country, both for all that you do, both in and out of your classrooms,
08:54and the commitment that you have to our nation's children, our families, and our communities.
09:02Mr. President, are you?