On Tuesday (4/29/2014), Tennessee's First Lady Crissy Haslam spoke to the Rotary Club of Murfreesboro. Much of her focus was on getting youngsters ready to start school and increasing the amount of total education persons in the Volunteer State receive. 

She told how after the State of the State address, Governor Bill Haslam was given a red Lego block by a Tennessee teacher. The first lady explained . . .

Mrs. Haslam commented that she believed education was one of the best ways to move Tennessee forward. The education of our workforce is one of the primary areas corporations look at before making a decision to move a business into our state. She quoted her husband by saying, "The best jobs plan is a good education plan." 

Crissy Haslam is a trained educator and has a master's degree in education. In her message to the Murfreesboro Rotarians, she said, "Our students were not just behind in college, they were behind at all levels. And having a poor education not only negatively impacts a person's ability to earn, it also sets them up for failure." 

Haslam was proud of the improvements Tennessee has made in the area of education under her husband's leadership. She noted, "This year, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed Tennessee to be the fastest improving state in education in the nation."

And of the 50 states, Tennessee has moved from the 40's rankings to the 30's . . .

She concluded by saying that we want to continue improving education, which results in improvements in the quality of life for our residents, more companies moving here and making better jobs available to citizens--Tennessee is being watched by leaders around the world and we want the best for Tennesseans. 

Her complete talk to Rotary Club of Murfreesboro