Whether you have been at the head of the classroom or in a desk on the other end, you know the importance of quality teaching. It makes all the difference. With the help of a great teacher, a struggling student can excel. Under an ineffective teacher, that student may never catch up. We know this from our own school experiences, as well as extensive research. The teacher is and always will be the most important factor in student success. If we truly want to put students first, we have to make sure we invest in Idaho’s teachers.  That’s exactly what the Students Come First plan does. As a former teacher, I am excited about the possibilities this plan provides for great teachers now and in the future. Some have claimed this plan “devalues teachers.” That couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s the only option that actually invests in teachers/Lori Otter, Office of the First Lady. More here. (AP file photo of Gov. Otter and Miss Lori)

Question: Why do you think proponents are rolling out the heavy hitters like First Lady Lori Otter to defend Tom Luna's radical education “reform” plans? After all, they're winning the legislative battle.

On Friday evening, Hucks Online reported that a Lake City High administrator in a “pink silk cap” had waylaid Idaho 1st Lady Lori Otter, Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna, & Senate Education Committee Chairman John Goedde after the GOP bus tour pulled onto high school grounds at the end of its North Idaho tour. Now we know the female administrator was high school principal Deanne Clifford. But Hucks Online is strill trying to find where the “pink silk cap” came into play. Obviously, Lori Otter (above on bus) was wearing Nike head wear that’s not made of silk. And Deanne Clifford was wearing a light-pink baseball cap with darker-pink lettering. So let’s drop “silk” from the description originally provided, OK?

Question (for OrangeTV): Can you break down the 1st Lady’s non-red carpet look on the bus tour? (I think she pulls it off, but I’m not Joan Rivers.)

Idaho’s first lady wore the same dress twice - to the gala at Saint Al’s Festival of Trees in November and then again Sunday to the White House for a dinner with the nation’s governors, the Obamas’ first formal soiree (AP photo above). This, according to the Idaho Statesman. Lori Otter bought the dress - a floor-length black Jovani gown - on sale at the local boutique Karen Louise in Downtown Boise, the governor’s office said. The gown retails for about $700, but Otter got it for about $500.

Question: Did Idaho’s First Lady Lori Otter commit a fashion faux pas by wearing the same dress twice to fashionable events? Or was she being frugal?