Jill Biden surprises national teacher of the year with flowers and gives nurses cookies

Jill Biden surprised the teacher of the year with flowers and thanked nurses with White House-shaped cookies on Thursday, day two of her West Coast tour.

It was an early morning for the first lady as she surprised National Teacher of the Year Juliana Urtubey during a live appearance on CBS’ This Morning.

Then Biden stopped at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas to thank nurses during their 7 a.m. shift change.

The first lady passed out White House-shaped sugar cookies for National Nurses’ Day.

Jill Biden surprised National Teacher of the Year Juliana Urtubey with flowers and a letter of thanks from the president live on CBS’ This Morning

The first lady then thanked nurses at University Medical Hospital, in Las Vegas, for National Nurses’ Day

Biden, a teacher, had her staff change her schedule so she could be in Nevada to surprise Urtubey, an elementary special education teacher, with flowers and a letter of thanks from President Joe Biden.

The first lady is on a West Coast tour of Utah, Nevada and Colorado.

‘Oh my goodness,’ Urtubey said, jumping out of her seat when Biden walked into her classroom at Kermit R Booker elementary school in Las Vegas.

The two women, both of whom were masked, shook hands.

The winner of the award is usually recognized by the president at a White House ceremony each spring, but that’s been postponed because of the COVID pandemic.

Urtubey, an educator for 11 years, has called Jill Biden her hero in the past.

‘I was obviously elated. I mean, it’s so amazing. And I’m so grateful for a change of tone of positivity, of focusing on education to get our students what they need. It’s so beautiful,’ she said of her award and the surprise.

Urtubey’s students call her ‘Ms. Earth’ because she uses a garden in her teaching.  Her students formed a garden club called ‘Gnomies’ to care for the community garden, which includes flowers, fruit trees, vegetables and more than a dozen murals.

Biden said she hopes the COVID-19 pandemic has shown America how crucial teachers are.

‘For so long, teachers were undervalued,’ she said on CBS. ‘But now hopefully, you know, all of America after this pandemic has seen what teachers have done and how they’ve just taken care of our kids. It’s just been such a tough time, and teachers have risen to this moment.’

Jill Biden chatted with nurses, bumped elbows, and posed for photos

The first lady also passed out White House shaped sugar cookies to the nurses

First lady Jill Biden talks as she visits a classroom at Glendale Middle School on Wednesday morning. During the class, student Eli Kaufusi put a colorful lei around the first lady’s neck

After her surprise morning show appearance, Biden joined the Service Employees International Union in thanking nurses.

Hospital staff were lined up outside to meet her.

The first lady chatted with them, bumped elbows, and posed for photos. She was joined by Nevada Democratic lawmakers Rep. Dina Titus, Rep. Susie Lee, Sen. Jacky Rosen and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto.

Biden’s next stop is in Colorado – Fort Carson military base near Colorado Springs ahead of Military Spouse Appreciation Day on Friday.

She has restarted her and Michelle Obama’s Joining Forces initiative. Her other causes include education and cancer research.

She’ll return to the White House on Thursday evening.

On Wednesday, Biden visited a school and vaccination clinic in Utah.