And I am particularly honored to be speaking to you tonight along with Archbishop Sheehan. His presence here testifies to the significance of this gathering. So many of my speaking engagements are before groups of people who work in the communications industry the broadcasting, cable, and telephone industries. While I am often amazed by the work of those companies, the importance of their work does not begin to compare to the importance of the work done by educators in this country. It is almost impossible to overstate the value of education.
Educators trail only parents in shaping the development of our children.
Yet society undervalues the contributions of educators to our nation's welfare. Indeed, I can speak from personal experience about the impact educators have had on my life. After my parents, it was my teachers at my elementary school the nuns of the Sacred Heart School in San Juan, Puerto Rico who had the biggest impact on me. They were not only excellent academic teachers, but more importantly, they imparted in me the values that have guided me throughout my life. I have to confess that I thought my nuns were too strict and that the sound of a clicker still sends a small shiver down my spine.