When Dr. Jill Biden was a little girl, her grandmother would sometimes take her to work. That meant bringing her to where she taught at an old-fashioned, one-room schoolhouse, crammed with three grades of students. On special days, Dr. Biden got to ring the schoolhouse\u2019s brass bell to call students to class. And when the students arrived, they learned more than just reading and math.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe opened up worlds to the students she taught,\u201d the former Second Lady shared about her grandmother in the closing keynote of the 2018 Cradle to Career Network Convening Oct. 12 in Seattle. \u201cEvery child who passed through the walls of her little classroom was enchanted, including me. I wanted to do that. I wanted to help students see the world in a different way. I wanted to help them find their own voices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Biden has achieved her childhood vision with more than three decades as an educator. She raised three kids while pursuing her education and spent 15 years working full time and studying at night. She completed two master\u2019s degrees and a doctorate in education from the University of Delaware, while often being the oldest student in the class.<\/p>\n

She began her education career as a reading specialist at a high school in Delaware, where many students were reading well below grade level. There, she saw the challenges faced across the educational journey, from school resources stretched too thin, to violence in children\u2019s neighborhoods, to parents working multiple jobs to support their families. For too many students, she said, these challenges seem insurmountable, but the future can be brighter.<\/p>\n