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Rodney Robinson, professor of the year, smiles as he is honored at the Virginia House of Delegates on January 24th. | Steve Helber / AP Photo
President Donald Trump met with the year 's teacher Monday and received Virginia' s Rodney Robinson at the Oval Office for an unexpected visit in the company of other year – round professor recipients.
The meeting took place after a spokesman for the Council of State School Heads, who is organizing the program, said Friday that the council had understood that Trump would not be present. This generated reports throughout the weekend that Trump had given up a tradition going back to President Harry Truman by not handing the prize.
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Trump entrusted the prize to the secretary of education, Betsy DeVos. But he met Robinson alone in the oval office before other laureates joined them, according to Robinson and the prize finalists who spoke to reporters Monday afternoon. The meeting was not scheduled by the president.
The teachers also met with Vice President Mike Pence.
"It was just a very nice experience," said Robinson, a social science teacher at a juvenile detention center in Richmond, Va. "We just talked a bit about what our kids needed. He just let us know that he was listening and that the federal government would do everything possible to help us. "
Danielle Riha, Alaska finalist, said, "President Trump, in particular, said we had the toughest jobs in the world and that he really admired us."
Trump, Pence and DeVos have all expressed interest in coming to schools and "learning firsthand the different needs of our students across the country," said Kelly Harper, a Washington, DC finalist.
The party is not over for Robinson. Karen Pence, the vice-president's wife and teacher, will be hosting a breakfast with the professor of the year at the vice president's home on Thursday, spokeswoman Kara Brooks said.
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