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A Surprise Call from the White House for Laura Servin

Laura Servin (TX '15) Gets Surprise Call from Secretary of Education John King

As part of the country's celebration of National Teacher Appreciation Week, Texas Milken Educator Laura Servin (TX '15) got a surprise phone call from U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr. in Washington, D.C. Here's how she described it:

"We were in the library when the phone rang and the librarian said that I should answer it because someone wanted to speak to me. She said that the phone wasn't working well and that I would have to answer it on the speaker phone. Once John King introduced himself I was so incredibly honored that I was receiving a call from the White House.

"He thanked me for being a great teacher and asked what we were up to in the classroom, what new things we are working on and what my summer plans were. I told him that our students just completed their Algebra 1 End of Course earlier this week and that this summer I am doing some math conferences as well as going to Austin for a state celebration.

"Then he asked me what could the federal government do to help educators. I told him how effective Project-Based Learning is for my students, and also that I would love having more time in the classroom with students. He spoke to me a little about his time as a high school social studies teacher, and he agreed that projects help motivate students. I truly felt like we were just two educators having a conversation. I wish I had told him that I would love to continue our conversation at the White House if the opportunity ever presented itself. I was just so excited! My students started clapping and cheering when we hung up. It was so great."