[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 74 (Tuesday, May 6, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN APPRECIATION OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR TEACHERS

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                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 6, 2008

  Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, this week we celebrate National Teacher 
Appreciation Week. It is a time for us to recognize the teachers who 
are working hard today to prepare students for the future, and the 
teachers who helped each of us become who we are. As a former teacher, 
I feel strongly about the work that today's teachers are doing. Beyond 
the rhetoric of ``failing schools'' there is a reality in which 
teachers in classrooms across the country are doing incredible work, 
with difficult students and limited resources. Many of these teachers 
are devoting extra hours to help struggling students, to learn new 
teaching techniques, and to develop innovative strategies and programs 
to improve student learning, and using their personal financial 
resources to acquire needed supplies and equipment.
  There is no doubt that teachers are the core of our education system. 
As much as researchers and policymakers debate the values of standards 
and assessment and incentives and reform, education occurs in a 
classroom, and consists of an interaction between a teacher and his or 
her students. Good policy will help these teachers and support them in 
their work. America's teachers provide instruction in academic 
subjects, such as English, Math, Science, History, and PE, but they 
also teach social-behavioral skills, and look out for their students' 
health and well-being. Good teachers do not just teach a subject, they 
teach the whole child.
  Today's teachers face a unique set of challenges in providing 
students with the knowledge and skills they will need to be successful 
in tomorrow's workforce. To be competitive, our students need much more 
than they did just a decade ago. They now need advanced technology 
skills and a solid understanding of science. That is why I will soon be 
introducing legislation to improve the coordination of the Federal 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education efforts, 
helping foster cooperation between the States and Federal agencies.
  As a Member of the House Appropriations Committee, one of my highest 
priorities is increasing funding for Federal education programs that 
will ease the burden on States and localities to provide vital 
education services. We need to give our teachers more than an apple. 
They need well-equipped classrooms, instructional materials, and up-to-
date facilities. They need smaller classes, a diverse curriculum, time 
to prepare, and adequate compensation. When budgets are tight, teachers 
are often expected to accomplish the same goals, but without sufficient 
help. We must increase funding for education.
  I would also like to take this opportunity to publicly congratulate 
Mrs. Dawn O'Connor, who hails from California's 15th District, for 
receiving the 2008 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science 
Teaching. Since 1983, the Presidential Awards for Excellence in 
Mathematics and Science Teaching have honored outstanding kindergarten 
through 12th grade mathematics and science teachers for their 
contributions in the classroom and to their profession. I am honored to 
recognize Mrs. O'Connor as a recipient of the Presidential Award, the 
highest recognition that a mathematics or science teacher can receive. 
Mrs. O'Connor teaches seventh grade biology at Ascencion Solorsano 
Middle School in the Gilroy Unified School District. Mrs. O'Connor and 
I had the pleasure of meeting last week during her visit to Washington, 
DC, and I was extremely impressed by her accomplishments.

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