There are 77 Christmas trees in the White House. And hanging on some of the branches are the self-portraits of more than 400 students鈥攁nd a few of their teachers.
The office of first lady Jill Biden鈥攈erself a teacher at a community college in northern Virginia鈥攁sked the state teachers of the year to have their students draw a self-portrait that would then be turned into an ornament and hung on Christmas trees in the White House. About half of the state teachers of the year participated, and on Sunday, 22 of them gathered in the White House to see their students鈥� artwork in person.
Having their artwork on display 鈥渕eans being a part of something that in some ways will last forever,鈥� said Willie Carver, the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year. 鈥淲hen you talk about the White House Christmas, you鈥檙e talking about a tradition that goes back so long, and it鈥檚 going to keep going with us. ... It鈥檚 an opportunity for [students] to be lifted up, which has been my platform鈥攁n opportunity for them to be a part of something bigger than themselves.鈥�
The theme of is 鈥淲e the People.鈥� The displays feature a tree that includes each state鈥檚 official bird, dozens of recipe cards to recognize holiday traditions, a room devoted to the National Parks, assortments of bells, and cardinals to signify the presence of lost loved ones.
鈥淭he values that unite us can be found all around you: a belief in possibility and optimism and unity,鈥� Biden said late last month when she unveiled this year鈥檚 holiday decorations. 鈥淚n the State Dining Room, we honor the promise of the next generation and see the holidays through the eyes of the children.鈥�
The state teachers of the year weren鈥檛 able to be at the White House during the official unveiling鈥攎ost were in the classroom that Monday. But on Sunday, the teachers, who hailed from as far away as and Hawaii to just around the corner in the District of Columbia, finally got to see the decorations in person and take photos to bring back to their students.
鈥淣ow that we get to go back and show them pictures of their ornaments on the tree, that鈥檚 going to be special,鈥� said Dominique Foster, the 2022 D.C. Teacher of the Year, who teaches pre-K at Blow Pierce Elementary, a charter school. 鈥淭heir parents will [be excited], too. That means something.鈥�
The ornaments reflect the diversity of the nation鈥檚 schools
The students chose how to draw themselves. Some included pets or symbols of their hobbies. One student drew himself in a hammock, reading a book. Some drew themselves as who they want to be when they grow up: One student drew himself as an astronaut.
鈥淲e talked about representation in the White House. ... What do you want people to know about American students鈥攚ho you are, where you鈥檙e going, how you identify?鈥� said Lisa Garcia, the Rhode Island 2022 Teacher of the Year. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so cool to see their work on the trees. I鈥檓 so proud of them鈥攋ust seeing them as they see themselves, and how they hope to see themselves as they grow and mature and learn more.鈥�
The diversity of the nation鈥檚 schools was reflected, too.
鈥淭o have representation across the ethnicities is really powerful,鈥� said Whitney Aragaki, the 2022 Hawaii Teacher of the Year. One of her students with a self-portrait on the Christmas trees is Filipino, and another is Samoan. 鈥淭hose are two ethnicities that don鈥檛 really get represented in the greater scheme of the United States,鈥� she said.
Deanne Moyle-Hicks, the 2022 Nevada Teacher of the Year, teaches 5th grade at Natchez Elementary School on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation. (She loops with her students and has been with them since 1st grade.)
Fifteen of her students submitted self-portraits, as did Moyle-Hicks and her instructional assistant. Several of them included Native imagery and details of life on the reservation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 who they are鈥攖he representation of who they are, and what their culture and what their diversity means to them,鈥� Moyle-Hicks said. 鈥淲e did a lot of pre-work, too, to talk about [how] this is an opportunity for you to represent not only who you are as an individual, but where you come from, what is your diversity, what does your culture do, and what does that mean, in an effort to help other people understand who you are.鈥�
The self-portraits were a confidence-booster for many
Garcia, who teaches math at North Kingstown High School in North Kingstown, R.I., noted that the self-portraits were an entirely optional activity for students.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 an activity we were graded on,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey did this because they wanted to, and they felt it was important to them.鈥�
After all, having artwork displayed at the White House is an opportunity few people get, said Theresa Maughan, the 2021-22 New Jersey Teacher of the Year. She added that the exhibit boosted the confidence of her students at the East Orange STEM Academy.
鈥淓specially this child,鈥� she said, pointing to a self-portrait of Samara, one of her high school seniors. 鈥淪he鈥檚 very quiet, she鈥檚 very reserved, and I think it just is a way for her to gain more self-confidence and believe in herself and her ability in what she can produce.鈥�
Carver, the Kentucky teacher of the year, resigned from teaching earlier this year, citing discrimination he鈥檚 faced for being openly gay. He told EdWeek in May that he was afraid to return to the classroom given the anti-LGBTQ legislation introduced across the country.
It has been a difficult year, he said, but seeing his former students鈥� self-portraits displayed alongside others from across the country felt like a symbol of unity and togetherness. And seeing his own self-portrait in the room was 鈥渁 reminder that 鈥榯eacher鈥� is a very big word that transcends the classroom,鈥� Carver said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e at a complicated time in our culture鈥檚 history,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f we all thought of ourselves as teachers, all thought of ourselves as people who need to learn, then we could probably feel the warmth that we鈥檙e all feeling right now every day.鈥�
