I can't contemplate my career as a teacher without reflecting on my dad's years in school. Although, naturally I wasn't born when he was a student, his marginal education helped form my teaching.

He was from a very poor farm family. Although his parents loved him very much, they worried more about how they were going to feed and clothe him than they did about whether he could read or write. His educators' expectations were low, and he met that low standard.

When the energy crisis hit in the '70s, my dad tackled it as a real-life math problem, but instead of picking up a paper and pencil, he talked his way through it. He thought outside the box. He modeled his thinking.

He built an electric car out of used Volkswagen parts and powered our house with a wind generator built from scratch. He was able to do these things in spite of the fact that he hadn't learned how to do them in school.

In some ways, the disconnect between what my dad needed at home and the skill set he was asked to learn at school lives on in classrooms across America. As teachers in the 21st century, we are experiencing a paradigm shift as we consider whether what we teach is relevant and if how we're teaching it is engaging. Our focus is shifting to bringing out the true learner in our students, because within their lifetimes their ability to "learn" will surpass their need to "know."

Although many aspects of our profession are changing, many remain the same. Each day we're called upon to be actor, coach, finder of lost articles, psychologist, substitute parent, sales professional and keeper of the faith. We are the most fortunate of all who labor.

Each day parents entrust us with their greatest gift, their children. As teachers, we have a past that is rich in memory. A present that is rewarding, adventurous, fun and challenging, because we spend our days with the future.

And now it is with great honor that I introduce to you a man whose lessons extend far beyond the walls of a classroom, who is writing history, modeling a present that is challenging and adventurous, but also hopefully rewarding and fun, who is helping to shape the future for all of us, President Barack Obama.