President Joe Biden sparked criticism and debate over his recent remarks on children at the 2022 Teacher of the Year Ceremony this week. During the event, Biden told educators that their students are like their own children when “they’re in the classroom.”
“You’ve heard me say it many times about our children, but it’s true: They’re all our children. And the reason you’re the teachers of the year is because you recognize that,” the president said. “They’re not somebody else’s children. They’re like yours when they’re in the classroom.”
As reported by Faithwire, Biden’s remarks were met with a polarized reception on social media, including some who believed that he stressed that children do not belong to their parents when they are in the classrooms.
“My children do not belong to the state or the school,” one person tweeted. “My children are mine, and [it’s] not up for debate.”
“When I have students in my class, I work for BOTH my school AND parents,” another user said. “The students are not ‘mine.’ They are entrusted to me by PARENTS, and that’s a serious, sacred responsibility and trust.”
Conversely, other people on social media argued that Biden emphasized the responsibility that teachers have to their students in the classroom.
“He’s honoring top teachers — this is a perfectly reasonable thing to say in this context,” one commenter wrote. “It’s sad how many of y’all see this as ‘evil’ due to a made-up moral panic. It’s a completely innocuous statement.”
At another point in Biden’s speech, he credited his success in politics and life to both his parents and teachers.
“I wonder how I got here. I got here because of my parents and my teachers,” he said. “My teachers.”
Biden also received criticism for condemning efforts to ban books promoting racial and sexual ideologies, Yahoo reports.
“There are too many politicians trying to score political points trying to ban books, even math books,” one person said. “Did you ever think when you’d be teaching you’re going to be worried about book burnings and banning books all because it doesn’t fit somebody’s political agenda?”
His remarks come as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed bills that require curriculum transparency to parents and banned classroom discussions on sexual orientation and gender ideology for K-3rd grade students, respectively.
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
