We ask a lot of our nation’s teachers, Secretary Duncan said in a video message to the educators of Sandy Hook Elementary School. “But no one could possibly ask for this kind of sacrifice,” he said of the courage shown by educators during last week’s tragedy in Newtown, Conn.
In his video message, Secretary Duncan expressed his deep gratitude to teachers, school leaders, and school administrators for the “quiet heroism” they have shown since the Sandy Hook shootings in responding to students’ concerns and seeking to restore a sense of safety and normalcy in our nation’s schools, despite their own feelings of fragility.
Secretary Duncan will visit Newtown on Wednesday, Dec. 19, to talk with Sandy Hook staff and to attend the wake of Principal Dawn Hochsprung.
Watch the Secretary’s message below, and click here to read the text.
Click here for an alternate version of the video with an accessible player.
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Secretary Duncan,
Thank you for your kind remarks in regards to the staff of Sandy Hook Elementary School. They are tremendous human beings and our nation should be incredibly proud of the sacrifices many of them made in an effort to keep children safe. The children of this nation are lucky to have such loving and caring teachers willing to do whatever necessary to ensure the safety of their students. I just hope our country can realize this and we don’t need a tragedy in order to remind us of this fact.
Josh Stumpenhorst
2012 IL Teacher of the Year