Among the many honors a Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year receives, one is often some sort of recognition by the White House and sitting presidential administration for their work and advocacy for education.
But Kimberly Jones, the reigning state teacher of the year and a Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools educator, was among the first group of honorees to be welcomed for a state dinner in Washington D.C.
This year, first lady Jill Biden and the administration rolled out the red carpet for the national and state teachers of the year for a special evening on May 2. Being a long-time educator herself, Biden stressed the importance of having dedicated, passionate and inspiring people leading students — and celebrated their efforts with a ceremony often reserved for the highest of foreign leaders.
Jones, who teachers English at Chapel Hill High School, spoke with Chapelboro after returning from her trip to Washington D.C. to detail her experience and some of the themes discussed among the education leaders in the room. Below are some of the highlights, with Jones’ comments lightly edited for clarity:
Kimberly Jones, the 2023 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, visits the White House ahead of a dinner recognizing all state teachers of the year on May 2, 2024. (Photo via Kimberly Jones.)
On learning that the Teachers of the Year reception was changed to a state dinner
“We know that there’s always a presidential recognition of the state teachers of the year. Usually that looks like a reception, sometimes out in the Rose Garden, but a nice little, ‘congratulations’ and quick visit. And it was maybe a month before, three weeks before when we learned it had been changed from a visit to a dinner. And when our national teacher of the year, Missy Testerman was announced on CBS, Dr. Biden was there to announce not only Missy’s recognition, but also that there would be — for the first time ever — a White House State dinner to honor all of the state teachers of the year. It was huge… mind-blowing! There’s so many steps [to get ready to go to the White House]. It immediately became, ‘Okay, I can’t wear what I’d bought to wear.’ Like, it becomes a fashion emergency — at least for me!”
On the entrance to the dinner and tour of the White House
“We got to the White House and we entered through the Booksellers Hall and there was a lovely set up with press, and we had the opportunity to engage with them a little bit. Then we entered the downstairs area and there was a wonderful reception for about an hour or so. And we got to visit all of these amazing rooms in the White House that are normally, of course, closed to the public. We spent time in the China Room, and in the Fireside Chat Room, and in the library, talking with all of the other fellow teachers of the year, educational guests and politicians. It was really nice. Then we headed upstairs — and throughout all of these spaces, there was amazing entertainment by our armed services bands, the Marines and the Army string quartets. It was just really beautiful, and we were made to feel very honored at every step
“We had the opportunity for a one-on-one photo with Dr. [Jill] Biden, where we were introduced by our state titles and our guest. That was amazing, to have that one-on-one opportunity with Dr. Biden. And then the event opened up and… it was phenomenal. It was an honor of the highest regard. As a classroom teacher, you just feel kind of overwhelmed. It was a bit surreal. At my table, I was very fortunate to be seated with our Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra along with the Illinois State Teacher of the Year. Throughout the room, there are policy makers and government leaders who are all very interested in hearing from us, and hearing about our students and our classrooms.
“That was really refreshing too: to not only be welcomed into the space, but for our voices to be centered. We heard from [U.S. Secretary of Education] Miguel Cardona — he, the first lady and our National Teacher of the Year, Missy [Testerman] entered together and they all gave amazing remarks. One of the greatest points was hearing from Dr. Biden and, almost as soon as she began to speak, you saw the shoulders of all of these teachers of the year lower. You just relaxed and you realized in that moment that you truly were speaking with a fellow educator. The points and the realities she was raising as a community college teacher are very similar to what we face every day in the classroom. It truly did feel like an a celebration of educators and what’s happening in public schools all over our country.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona takes a photo with Kimberly Jones. (Photo via Kimberly Jones.)
On the education topics most commonly discussed during her visit
“Nationally, we are facing recruitment and retention issues in rural, suburban and urban school districts. We are at a bit of a crossroads in terms of young people wanting to enter the profession and what are the things we can do to entice [them]. In addition to that personal passion for what we do, it was lovely to hear that federal leaders recognize the impact of teacher pay on retention — teachers being paid not only a competitive salary commensurate with their professional skill, but also being paid for things like their continued education, their advanced degrees, their national board service, etc. While no one goes into teaching solely for the pay, we are professionals who have families to raise and children is into school on our own. And those skills deserve compensation commensurate with that expertise. It was incredible to hear that from the first lady and from Secretary Cardona.
“There were leaders from our professional unions, from [education] consultant firms across the country. Everyone truly felt welcomed, valued and honored in that evening. It’s something that not only did we cherish, but it felt great to hear leaders talk about how every teacher — as we were going into Teacher Appreciation Week — deserves that level of fanfare for the commitment they make to children every day. And I absolutely agree. I was one teacher representing over 90,000 in a state full of incredible teachers, who show up every day doing incredible things for our students. They all deserve that level of fanfare and recognition.”
On the menu of the state dinner
“We had this lovely sort of antipasto salad course, that was cucumbers and walnuts. We had a lobster ravioli and then the dessert was plated so beautifully. Everything was a teacher theme. The pastry chef had outdone themselves — there was a little stack of books, there was a little basket of apples. Everything was really, really beautiful. And it felt like every detail had been considered to make us feel honored and we truly did. At every plate setting, there was a golden apple with your name on it. And as we left, we received a really beautiful parting gift from the White House that included our personalized invitation. I know I’ll be getting mine matted to remember the occasion.”
President Joe Biden speaks as Missy Testerman, the 2024 National Teacher of the Year, as first lady Jill Biden listen during a State Dinner at the White House on Thursday, May 2, 2024, to honor the top-recognized teachers from across the country. The North Carolina Teacher of the Year, Kimberly Jones, can be seen in the bottom left-hand corner. (Photo via AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein.)
On the surprise visit of President Joe Biden
“[President Biden] had been in North Carolina all day when he returned to D.C. The chopper landed and he headed up [to our floor]. We were in between courses, I think, when we all hear ‘Hail To The Chief’ and we’re like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ And I looked down the hallway, and the president is walking into the room. Everybody sort of jumps up and… it meant a lot for him to even put us on his schedule after a long day on the road. But it was a phenomenal surprise.”
Kimberly Jones holds a photo of her Chapel Hill High School students while at the White House state dinner on May 2. (Photo via Kimberly Jones.)
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