“We thought our job was to represent all teachers. The meeting was not on the president’s scheduleThe teachers also met with Vice President Mike Pence.“It was just a really pleasant experience,” said Robinson, a social studies teacher in a juvenile detention center in Richmond, Va. “We just talked a little bit about what our kids needed. President Donald Trump met with the Teacher of the Year on Monday, receiving Virginia's Rodney Robinson in the Oval Office for an unexpected visit along with other Teacher of … Rodney Robinson, a social studies teacher at a juvenile detention center in Richmond, Va., was named the National Teacher of the Year for 2019. But he met with Robinson alone in the Oval Office before other state winners joined them, according to Robinson and national award finalists who spoke with reporters Monday afternoon. I didn’t want to close the door of opportunity,” Robinson says now. He reiterated that claim to Chalkbeat, saying that’s what he had been told. Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson smiles as he is honored on the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates on Jan. 24. "Every president since Harry Truman has honored the National Teacher of the Year, and I’m proud to continue this tradition with this year’s recipient: Mandy Manning, of … Trump did attend the ceremony last year, where 2018 recipient Mandy Manning made headlines for delivering letters to Trump from her refugee … He just let us know that he was listening and that the federal government would do whatever it can to help us out.”A daily dose of education policy news — weekday mornings, in your inbox.By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. (This year’s ceremony was delayed because of the coronavirus.) Sign up for the
So did President Obama, in … Robinson praised the department’s work on that issue, but was critical of DeVos on other topics — specifically, what he sees as rollbacks of civil rights protections, including recent changes to rules for how claims of sexual misconduct are handled under Title IX.
State winners from Kentucky and Minnesota were invited but opted to boycott the event. Last November, Hayes was elected to … We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. newsletter
Sign up for the “I didn’t want to make the message about Trump.” “It was really about doing the job, being nonpartisan, being diplomatic. A spokesperson for the department defended DeVos’ record. | Steve Helber/AP PhotoPresident Donald Trump met with the Teacher of the Year on Monday, receiving Virginia's Rodney Robinson in the Oval Office for an unexpected visit along with other Teacher of the Year recipients.The meeting came after a spokesperson for the Council of Chief State School Officers, which organizes the program, had said on Friday that the council understood Trump would not be in attendance. Donald Trump presents the National Teacher of the Year award to last year’s winner Mandy Manning, a teacher at Newcomer Center at Joel E. Ferris High School in Spokane, Wash., in the East Room of the White House on May 2, 2018 In 2016, Waterbury history teacher Jahana Hayes won the national title which was presented by President Barack Obama. Today was strictly a celebration of us and we felt truly valued by the administration today.”“You’re so right, ‘Big Rob!’” she said, using his students’ nickname for him. President Trump presented the award to winners in Now — with nationwide protests continuing over George Floyd’s killing and police violence against black Americans — Robinson, who is black and one of the country’s most prominent educators, says he’s ready to talk about the disrespect he felt that day and the racist statements he’s heard from the President.“You tried to deny me the opportunity to come into the house my enslaved ancestors built and shake my hand until you were pressured into it,” Robinson In an interview with Chalkbeat, Robinson said now that he is not the current teacher of the year — the “It was just out of frustration,” he said.