WATERFORD, Pa. (AP) – Jill Biden sees an educational moment in the depths of the coronavirus pandemic.
The first lady sat in a socially distant circle in the library of Fort LeBoeuf Middle School in Pennsylvania, listening and taking notes as parents expressed relief that the school had reopened and their children returned to the classroom. .
One mother talked about the “bumpy patches” of online learning and said the reopening “has been so on the T” that he doesn’t care about his son and daughter. Another mother said the district included contributions from parents and was comfortable that her children were in a “safe environment.”
Biden, a teacher, praised the small circle of parents, teachers and administrators for working together to help reopen Fort LeBoeuf. And he repeated a message he had sent that same day before visiting Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Meriden, Connecticut.
“We’ve been through some tough and very hard times, but I think the only good thing I love about educators, which includes cafeteria workers, bus drivers, teachers and everyone involved, is that we’ve all learned of that, ”Biden said of the pandemic and its emotional, social, and human toll.
“We will all take everything we have learned and turn it into an opportunity to improve things for students as we move forward,” he said.
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It seems that the first lady intends to turn every aspect of her new job into an opportunity, most notably, everything related to her passions for education, the fight against cancer and support for military families.
A few days after becoming first lady, Biden told the governors’ spouses during a virtual meeting at the White House that her new platform is “one she would never let go of.”
For more than three decades he has been dedicated to education for more than three years in high school, a psychiatric hospital and community schools. He is still teaching, practically from the White House, and worries about the day he can return to the classroom.
Finding a cure for cancer also motivates her and President Joe Biden.
The couple lost their son Beau to brain cancer in 2015 at 46 years old. Her parents died of cancer and one of her sisters was transplanted from a stem cell. Doctors also gave the dreaded breast cancer diagnosis to four of her friends over a one-year period in the 1990s.
The Bidens also defend members of the service and their families, a recognition that stems from Beau Biden’s service in the Delaware Army National Guard, including a deployment in Iraq. Jill Biden intends to revive a military family support program she ran with former First Lady Michelle Obama when Biden’s husband was President Barack Obama’s vice president.
Jill Biden quickly set her agenda as first lady by highlighting the three causes she had during her early weeks.
She has been busy with virtual meetings, teaching English at her community college, traveling officially, making recommendations in the Washington area, and installing the family’s dogs in the White House. Even the crunchy blue she wore on her hair has gone viral.
Biden, known for spring surprises and jokes, also intends to inject a little lightness into things while her husband faces discouraging crises: she woke him up to show him giant hearts he had exhibited at the White House lawn for Valentine’s Day.
“It starts quickly and I think it’s very solid,” said Myra Gutin, author of “The Partner’s President: The First Lady in the 20th Century.”
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The first lady also maintains a robust travel schedule despite the pandemic.
Her first official outing was to a nonprofit community health center in Washington to highlight services for cancer patients. From there, he toured to personally deliver chocolate chip cookies to National Guard troops. parked at the United States Capitol.
He recently traveled to Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond to tour the Massey Cancer Center, where researchers study the socioeconomic and cultural factors that contribute to disparities in cancer outcomes.
The first lady made the statements on Monday at the virtual ceremony of the International Women of Courage Awards of the State Department before jumping on a plane to spend Tuesday and Wednesday visiting U.S. military facilities in Washington and California state.
Biden also met virtually with teachers ’union leaders, spouses of defense officials and governors, military children and their government cancer teachers and researchers, among others. He sent pre-recorded comments to various conferences and recorded a public service announcement with Champ and Major, the family’s German shepherds, urging people to wear face masks.
Tammy Vigil, author of “Melania and Michelle: First Women in a New Era,” said Biden’s experience as the spouse of a U.S. senator and vice president for a long time was a good thing that helped her to quickly assemble a team. He also didn’t need time to figure out the issues he wanted to focus on.
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Apparently, there is no incognito refill for Jill Biden.
Unlike some recent first ladies who tried to hide her identity on unofficial outings in the Washington area, as Michelle Obama once did on a purchase at Target, Jill Biden comes out as herself.
Stephen Bota said he knew there was a VIP visit when U.S. Secret Service agents showed up without warning at the DuPont Circle kiosk in late January, but left him to guess who it would be. Hours later, Jill Biden entered through the door.
“I had a kind of ‘Oh God, she’s the first lady,'” Bota, a Kenyan immigrant who owns The Newsroom, recalled in an interview. He and his employees, only his wife and sister-in-law, appear in a photo with the first lady now on display in the store.
“I told him we are so grateful he came to see us,” Bota said.
Biden also bought coffee at Brewer’s Cafe in Richmond and jams at The Sweet Lobby on Capitol Hill, both owned by Negroes. The president, meanwhile, stopped his caravan after church on a Sunday for son Hunter Biden to pick up a panel order.
“It looks more welcoming,” Vigil said, noting that everyone can relate to commissions.
With the purchases, the Bidens seem to be encouraging support for small businesses, which generate the most jobs in the U.S. but are struggling to survive the pandemic.
It seems that they also indicate that they will participate in the life of the city.
Former President Donald Trump only went to his hotel near the White House or his golf club in northern Virginia. For dinner in a city with a scene of sturdy restaurants, he opted to dine exclusively in the hotel restaurant. His wife, Melania Trump, kept any outings in the Washington area under an unofficial function under the radar.
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After Jill Biden posted a photo of herself on the counter at The Sweet Lobby, the boutique bakery wasn’t the only one that became an instant hit.
The powder blue handkerchief holding the first lady’s hair went viral.
Biden said he had no idea until daughter Ashley called to tell him.
“I said,‘ What a crack? I didn’t know what he was talking about, “the first lady told interviewer Kelly Clarkson during an interview at the White House.” I still don’t get it. “