Obama honors Connecticut woman as Teacher of the Year

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Tuesday bestowed the National Teacher of the Year honor on a Connecticut woman who has demonstrated through her own life that students can overcome almost any obstacle.

In a White House ceremony, Obama described how high school history teacher Jahana Hayes grew up in a Waterbury housing project and lived in a community full of "poverty and violence, high crime and low expectations."

[...] there were times where she didn't even want to be a student.

Obama also used the moment to talk about progress in education during his administration, stating that high school graduation rates have never been higher.