[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 9, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E676]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            NATIONAL TEACHER DAY--A TRIBUTE TO MARIANNA MALM

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                           HON. EARL POMEROY

                            of north dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 9, 2000

  Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, this week America observes the 15th annual 
National Teacher Appreciation Week and celebrates the vital role that 
teachers play in the lives of our children. Today is also National 
Teacher Day, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my 
appreciation to all American educators. I would also like to recognize 
one teacher in particular, Marianna Malm, who teaches English at North 
High School in Fargo, North Dakota. Marianna was chosen to be the 
Teacher of the Year from my home state of North Dakota, and on behalf 
of the entire state, I would like to thank her for her dedication to 
our children.
  All of us, whether as children or as parents, are aware of the 
positive role that teachers play in our lives. Despite that fact, there 
is a growing disconnect between our admiration for educators and our 
willingness to take the steps required to recruit and retrain them. In 
North Dakota, the recruitment and retention of teachers has rightfully 
become a dominant topic of discussion, especially after news stories 
have reported that nearly one-third of the state's public school 
teachers are older than 50 and nearing retirement.
  From my kindergarten days in Valley City all the way through law 
school at the University of North Dakota, I was blessed to have been 
influenced by teachers who cared enough about me and their vocation to 
engage my interest in the vast world opened up by education. As these 
educators and others begin to retire in numbers we have never before 
experienced, we must reassess our federal, state and local policies to 
attract and retain quality teachers.
  First and foremost, we need to reevaluate our own priorities. Just as 
North Dakota's farmers invest in their crops, knowing that better seeds 
produce a better yield, we as a state must ensure our children's future 
by investing in high-quality teachers. This nation's greatest natural 
resource is our children--and those who dedicate their lives to their 
education should be appropriately rewarded for their commitment.
  Keeping four-star teachers like Marianna in North Dakota schools is a 
challenge, particularly in more rural regions of the state. I have 
cosponsored legislation, the Rural Teachers Recruitment Act, which 
would establish grants for rural school districts to develop teacher 
incentive programs. While the `Information Age' has opened up an 
entirely new world for rural schools, no computer or internet 
connection can replace a committed teacher. Every school district, no 
matter how big or how small, should be built on quality teachers.
  The changing face of North Dakota's countryside will continue to 
affect our classrooms. We should use this time of change to remember 
the importance of a top-notch education and the teachers who make it 
happen. We cannot continue the pattern of training our educators in 
top-quality North Dakota universities only to lose them to other states 
with higher teacher salaries. There is no profession more important to 
America's future, and North Dakota's future, than teaching.
  During National Teachers Appreciation Week, we need to take the time 
to say thank you to those who taught us when we were children and to 
those who teach our children today. This week and every week, we should 
express our gratitude to our quality teachers like Marianna Malm by 
working hard to keep them in North Dakota schools.

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