Curtis Muecke and Chelle Travis at the National Press Club. Photo courtesy of Curtis Muecke.
On Oct. 8 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., SkillsUSA national officer Curtis Muecke joined student leaders from FBLA, FFA and FCCLA for National Be A Teacher Day. He spoke about the advisor who first told him his voice mattered, and about why every industry depends on the educators who prepare its workforce. Read his full remarks.
I still remember the day a teacher first believed in me. Ninth grade. Mrs. Bennett, my SkillsUSA advisor, looked at me and said, “You have a fantastic voice. You should use it more.”
That moment was more than a confidence boost. It opened a door I did not even know existed. I grew up in rural Wyoming, where I traveled more than half an hour just to get to school. Opportunities were limited because of distance, and for a long time I did not see much in myself beyond what was right in front of me.
So when an educator told me I had a voice worth using, it changed something. It changed how I understood my own potential. Today, I want to share why that moment, and the profession behind it, matters so deeply to me. Teaching is more than a career. It is a commitment to shaping futures, one student at a time.
Across the United States, millions of teachers step into classrooms every day. The National Center for Education Statistics places that number at more than 3.5 million. That is 3.5 million opportunities to inspire, to guide, and to help a student feel seen. The National Education Association highlights that most students, nearly eight out of ten, say a teacher changed their life in a meaningful way. I am one of those students.
My desire to teach did not come from one moment. It came from many. From teachers like Mrs. Bennett, who saw potential in me long before I saw it in myself. And it came from SkillsUSA.
SkillsUSA is where I learned to speak with purpose. It is where I learned that leadership is not about being the loudest voice in the room. It is about lifting others up. It is about service. It is about believing in people until they learn to believe in themselves. Through writing, leadership, and the encouragement of mentors, I learned the power of being heard. SkillsUSA gave me a place to practice that power. A community that pushed me to grow. Adults who reminded me that my voice mattered.
Now I want to pass that gift on.
I want to be the teacher who notices the quiet student. The teacher who encourages the dreamer. The teacher who helps someone believe their voice matters. My mission is simple. I want to give students the same gift I was given. Belief.
But belief alone cannot solve the challenge we face.
The United States Department of Education reports teacher shortages across the country, especially in English, math, and special education. The Learning Policy Institute estimates that more than four hundred thousand teaching positions nationwide are either vacant or filled by individuals who are not fully certified for their assignments. That is roughly one in every eight teaching positions. Gallup’s educator well being survey shows that many teachers feel burned out. These challenges are real. They affect classrooms in ways we cannot always see.
And they affect more than classrooms.
The educator shortage does not stop at the classroom door. Every industry depends on educators to prepare the people who will eventually enter its workforce. Whether the future need is in skilled trades, manufacturing, healthcare, infrastructure, cybersecurity, agriculture, business, or technology, students first need educators who can help them develop the knowledge, skills, confidence, and direction necessary to enter those fields.
This is where SkillsUSA becomes especially powerful. SkillsUSA serves more than four hundred forty four thousand student and teacher members. Its mission is to prepare students to become skilled professionals, career ready leaders and responsible community members. Industries are investing in building future talent, but that pipeline still depends on qualified educators who teach, train, mentor, and prepare those students.
Teaching should not be reduced to simply being a career for someone who cares about people. Educators need communication skills, leadership, subject expertise, adaptability, problem solving, classroom management, technical knowledge, and the ability to recognize and develop potential in others. It is a highly skilled profession. It is a workforce profession. And it is essential to every other workforce profession that follows.
We cannot address tomorrow’s workforce shortages without the educators who are preparing tomorrow’s workforce.
I want my classroom to be a place where students feel safe to speak. A place where curiosity is celebrated. A place where every student knows they matter. Teachers do not just prepare students for the future. They help students believe they have a future.
That is the kind of teacher I hope to become.
