Editor’s Note: Thursday, May 2 was a historic day for Hawkins County when Rogersville City School teacher and National Teacher of the Year Missy Testerman attended a dinner in her honor at the White House. Mrs. Testerman was kind enough to share a detailed description of her experiences at the White House with President and First Lady Biden. Of course, the editor’s first question was, “What was on the menu?”
Testerman: The menu for the dinner was apple, walnut and celery root salad followed by a main course of lobster ravioli. Dessert was a trio of strawberries and cream, apple mousse and coconut custard cake. The White House pastry chef had designed the desserts in the shape of books, apples, rulers, and other teacher-themed items. She was a high school classmate of Mark Lowrie, the 2024 Ohio Teacher of the Year, so he was able to reconnect with her after many years. The food was delicious, but I did not get to eat dessert because people were requesting photos by that time and I felt as though that was more important at the moment. Everyone said the dessert was the best part.
White House press release
On Thursday, May 2, First Lady Jill Biden is hosting the first-ever “Teachers of the Year” State Dinner at the White House. This event will honor the 2024 National Teacher of the Year, Missy Testerman, and the State Teachers of the Year from across the country for their excellence in teaching and commitment to students’ learning.
“Tonight, we celebrate you, because teaching isn’t just a job,” Mrs. Biden said. “It’s a calling, and all of you were called to this profession for a reason. You believe that a better world is possible — and you make that world real, one student at a time. To answer the call of teaching, is in itself, an act of hope. You look at your students and don’t just see who they are today — you see all the possibility of tomorrow. You help them find the light within themselves, and that light lives on in all of you.”
Each of the 2024 State Teachers of the Year received a commemorative brass bell from the First Lady, continuing a tradition she started in 2021 in honor of her grandmother, a fellow educator and the person who inspired her to become a teacher.
Upon returning home from Washington D.C. Mrs. Testerman shared memories of her White House experience
RVR: What was it like to meet the president? Walk us through your encounter with Mr. and Mrs. Biden.
I had meetings at our hotel until around 1:30 on Thursday. At 1:30, I learned that a reporter and a camera crew from Good Morning America would be watching me get ready for the dinner. At 2:00, that crew showed up in our hotel suite. My son and his girlfriend had arranged for a team of hair and makeup artists to come to us, so that made things much easier. The hair and makeup crew were quite surprised to find out that there was a television crew there! They filmed and interviewed me as my daughter, my son’s girlfriend, and I got ready for the dinner. I was already quite nervous, but the camera crew and the reporter were so nice that it was not as bad as I had anticipated. While I was getting ready, I shared many stories of Rogersville with them, including the story of how Arch Fain once cooked for President Roosevelt. I was hoping they would air more of me talking about Rogersville, but most of that was cut in the Good Morning America story.
Testerman: When it was time to head to the dinner, all of the other teachers and their guests rode on charter buses. I assumed we would do the same, but CCSSO (Council of Chief State School Officers- the organization that sponsors the National Teacher of the Year program) had arranged for a private vehicle to take our family to the White House. The camera man rode along with us, filming the entire way. As we approached the White House, the enormity of the situation was almost overwhelming. We could hear the band playing as we went through security and were led onto the red carpet they had out for the teachers to walk on as they entered.
On the tables in the entrance, there were arrangements of irises in vases that were covered with pencils and rulers. There were also beautiful orange flowers in the same vases. The iris is Tennessee’s state flower, and I wondered immediately if that was a coincidence or a subtle nod to Tennessee. Dr. Biden told me at dinner that the flower choices were a very purposeful acknowledgement that the National Teacher of the Year was from Tennessee.
RCS superintendent Edwin Jarnagin and principal David Hartsook both attended the dinner, as did my TN Teacher of the Year coordinator, Sarah Brown. Tennessee’s Commissioner of Education, Lizzette Reynolds, was also in attendance. From the time I was named the Tennessee Teacher of the Year, Mr. Jarnagin has been my greatest supporter. To have him and my principal, Mr. Hartsook, there meant so much to me. The White House cut my remarks about them out due to time constraints, but I was able to introduce them to the state teachers of the year group on Thursday morning.
We had announcement cards that told who we were, and we were instructed to stop in front of the bookcase display for photos in front of the reporters. As they announced us, the press corps flashed so many photos that it was hard to focus. I now know many national television reporters, so they were waving and yelling out questions. The only questions I answered at that point were from two very young students who were likely 4th-5th grade age. I simply could not resist them.
As we walked toward the reception area, I also stopped and talked to four young ladies who were students of two of my fellow state teachers of the year: Beau McCastlain from Arkansas and Mark Lowrie from Ohio. Each of them teach broadcast journalism, and they were each allowed to bring two of their students to be part of the White House press corps for the evening. They had been with our cohort that morning, so I chose to stop to talk to them. I told them there would come a day in a few years where they would sit in an interview with a boss who likely had not done the things they were doing that night. They were so sweet, but they were most excited to tell me how nice their teachers looked. It was a very heartfelt moment because they were getting to experience something that most journalists will never experience and yet the thing they loved most was seeing their teachers.
The White House staff served drinks and hors-d’oeuvres, but all I did was take photos with people. We were able to walk around the White House and explore the rooms. My son, Andrew, noticed that all of the rugs were unfurled for guests to walk on. When you take a typical White House tour, the rugs are rolled up and you simply walk on the marble floor. This evening, the rugs were in place and it felt more like a home.
We got notification that it was time for us to go upstairs for the dinner. My family and I were taken into a room directly outside the State Dining Room where we were greeted by Dr. Jill Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. The White House Social Director then seated my family and the First Lady, Secretary Cardona, and I waited for the cues to enter. The First Lady was so kind and asked if I was ready. I told her I was a little nervous. She immediately reached down and grabbed my hand and told me I was made for this moment and that I was going to do great. We held hands all the way through the doorway until we paused for photos in front of the area where the press corps had now assembled.
The emcee announced us, all the attendees entered, and we entered the State Dining Room. There is a video that shows me hesitate for just a second because it was a surreal experience. There were over 200 people in that room, and I managed to lock eyes with my son and daughter. They both smiled and nodded, and that helped calm me so much. There was a piece of tape on the floor with my name on it, and I had instructions to stand there until it was time for my remarks. My husband, David, was seated directly in front of me, and that also helped to calm me since he was so close., as was Sarah Brown Wessling, the Director of the National Teacher of the Year program. Sarah was also the 2010 NTOY, and she is an amazing support person. Rebecka Peterson, the 2023 NTOY, was also present and she and my fellow state teachers of the year and their guests all smiled and made gestures that let me know I was in a room full of people who loved me.
Secretary Cardona and the First Lady made remarks and then it was my time to speak. When Dr. Biden said “Rogersville, Tennessee” I could feel my heart beating faster. The only time I had a hard time maintaining my composure was when I mentioned Rogersville City School or Rogersville, Tennessee. Those places are where my heart lies, and to speak those words in the White House meant so much to me. The comments I made about education are what I believe, but speaking about my school, my students, and Rogersville causes a rush of emotion in me that I cannot explain.
As I was led to my seat at the main table, I saw a card on my chair. It was from RCS, and our staff had signed it. CCSSO and the White House had reached out to every teacher’s school to design a card for them to discover at the table. I am glad I did not see that card until after I spoke because I would have definitely been in tears. Seeing the signatures of all the people I love and admire at RCS meant so much to me.
I was seated next to Dr. Biden at dinner. She is a teacher, and she told me she had to post grades before the dinner since it was the end of the semester. We shared stories of our students, our teaching experiences, and our families. She was such a gracious hostess, signing books, shirts, and even a pair of shoes for attendees. At one point, she said we needed a selfie, so our row took one.
‘It’s Missy from Tennessee’
As we started eating, she asked me if I had heard the helicopter land while I was speaking. I told her I could only hear my heart beating in my ear, and we laughed about that. The President had been in North Carolina that day, but I simply never gave thought that the First Lady asking me that was a clue of what was about to happen. I saw the doors at the end of the hallway open and the President of the United States walk through them. I lost some composure for a second and said, “Oh my gosh!” out loud. The First Lady giggled with me and grasped my hand as he entered the room.
The First Lady and I rose to greet President Biden, and he instantly said, “It’s Missy from Tennessee, the National Teacher of the Year.” He then told me he would see me the next day because my family was going back to the Oval Office on Friday to meet him. Dr. Biden gifted every teacher a bell, a symbolic representation to her mother who had been a teacher and used a bell to garner students’ attention. We had other gifts in the bag, including a medallion and assorted items.
After the dinner was over, Dr. Biden told me she would see me again and told me to reach out if I needed anything. I loved all of our conversations and thanked her for her hospitality. The Marines allowed my family to linger in the State Dining Room a few minutes and take photos. As we were exiting, the White House Social Director, Carlos Elizondo, told me to take a vase of flowers. The Marine who led us out told us that he had never seen anyone be able to walk out with things from the White House.
As we were preparing to leave, my family noticed the armed forces band playing Rocky Top. To hear Rocky Top played in the White House was the cherry on top of the whole evening. Both of my children are UT grads, so they sang Rocky Top in the White House. We thanked the band and told them that was a perfect ending to our evening. I later learned that the band had played Rocky Top as most of the other state teachers had entered the White House. Several agreed they had heard enough Rocky Top for a while, but I assured them one can never hear enough Rocky Top.
On Friday, several other state teachers of the year and I headed back to the White House for press interviews. After those, I returned to our hotel and got ready to head back to the White House for a private tour and to meet the president in the Oval Office with my family.
Private meeting in the Oval Office
On Friday we went by private car to the White House. We were greeted by members of the President’s and First Lady’s staff, Kelsey and Wade. Wade gave us an incredible tour, including allowing us to meet many of the behind the scenes White House staff who made the dinner so magical, before escorting us to the West Wing where we met Kelsey. When you are in the West Wing, you must leave all of your devices and purses in a box as you enter. As we were standing and waiting to enter the Oval Office, Nancy Pelosi and her husband were exiting. She stopped and talked with my family, and then asked for a photo. The White House aide had to take it since none of us had phones.
President Biden greeted us as we entered the Oval Office, and he was so kind. He presented me with a crystal apple, and I gave him letters from Mrs. Housewright’s 2nd grade class at RCS. He read through a few and laughed at their questions. Landry Gladson, Coach Gladson’s daughter, had asked him if he liked camping. He told me to tell her that he liked camping better than being the president. The president was hilarious and engaging. He shared photos of his family, and he told us many stories about his mother. When he found out that my daughter is in the Speech and Language Pathology field, he talked to her very pointedly about his stutter and even shared a story about the ridicule he faced as a boy due to it.
We had expected just a quick photo and a handshake, but the Oval Office visit was so special. The President and I held hands as he showed me photos of the daughter and wife he lost in a car wreck in the 1970s. He said he was lucky enough to find two loves of his life, and that he had been a blessed man. He was so proud of his grandchildren, just like a normal grandfather. He spent a lot of time with us despite Friday also being the day that the White House was honoring 18 Americans with the Presidential Medal of Freedom later that day.
When we left, we were handed a huge bag full of official White House gear, including a journal, candles, and cookies made by the White House chefs.
RVR: Did you meet any other interesting people besides the President and First Lady?
Testerman: CCSSO had organized an exceptional week of programming for the state teachers of the year cohort. We engaged with the Department of Education staff, including Secretary Cardona, and each teacher in the cohort was able to go to Capitol Hill and meet with two legislators. I met with Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger and Senator Bill Hagerty. They also had arranged for Congresswoman Jahana Hayes from Connecticut to speak with us. I was able to meet with her privately, which was particularly helpful since she was the 2016 National Teacher of the Year. She has lived the same experiences I currently am living, so hearing her say she had so many of the same emotions was reassuring that I am not crazy.
While at the White House, I met Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House Press Secretary. She is the lady who does the daily media briefings for the White House each day. I recognized her, and the funny part is that she also recognized me. I will not lie: it is a crazy feeling for these people to recognize me.
I met Second Gentleman, Douglas Emhoff, at the State Dinner. He, too, was very personable. I met a lot of people but the experience was so surreal that I am not entirely sure exactly who I did meet that evening. Every person we were able to meet, including President Biden and the First Lady, were just regular people who happen to be people in powerful positions. Once we began talking, it was like talking to someone in Rogersville. I know that people get caught up in political beliefs, but all I saw were real humans: people who were respectful, gracious, and kind.
On Friday evening, Alma Hale Paty, a Rogersville native, hosted a party at her beautiful Washington, D.C. home. Attendees were members of the D.C. Rogersville Club, a social club founded by John Webster, formerly of Rogersville.
Everyone in attendance had a connection to Rogersville, and the meal was catered by Larry La, an ETSU graduate from Vietnam who was a child when he fled Vietnam with his family as a child. He told a very moving story of how First Baptist Church in Erwin sponsored his family and enabled them to settle in East Tennessee. He loves this country so much, and I was so touched by his story particularly since I teach students who sometimes have similar stories. It was a lovely evening and was nice to hear people’s fond memories of growing up in Rogersville.
I want to thank the people of Rogersville for their kindness, words of encouragement, and their support during this whole experience. I have always loved Washington, D.C., but I am so happy to be back in Rogersville and to see my students and my colleagues. Rogersville, Tennessee is a special place to live and raise a family, and while being the National Teacher of the Year is an immense honor, I will always most relish being Mrs. Testerman from RCS. I love this town so much, and it is an honor to tell everyone I meet that I am from Rogersville.
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