[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 23451]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       HONORING MINNESOTA TEACHER OF THE YEAR, KATIE KOCH-LAVEEN

 Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, I appreciate the opportunity to be 
here today to honor Ms. Katherine Koch-Laveen as Minnesota's Teacher of 
the Year for the year 2000. This is certainly a high honor, as I note 
that 98 Minnesota educators were nominated for this award, and their 
accomplishments were reviewed by 18 judges. It is all the more 
impressive considering Minnesota's public schools reputation for 
academic excellence. I also commend the 98 nominees for this honor, 28 
of whom were chosen as ``teachers of excellence,'' and 10 of whom were 
further chosen for an ``honor roll'' of teachers. School teachers that 
excel at their craft are critically important to the intellectual 
development of their students, and help shape the student's vision for 
what they can accomplish in their lives.
  I still can vividly remember the excellent educators that taught me 
at Zion Lutheran Christian Day School in Crown. Excellent teachers 
motivate, show enthusiasm for inquiry, and instill in their students a 
passion for learning that often continues for a lifetime. A great 
educator gives the student a core foundation of knowledge about a 
subject, and a curiosity about the topic that drives a student to study 
and research more extensively long after they have left that particular 
class.
  Great teachers also make sacrifices for their students. It's no 
secret that in today's high-tech, knowledge-based economy, Ms. Koch-
Laveen could probably find a more financially rewarding profession, 
especially with her science background. And our great teachers need to 
be rewarded financially, so that we do not lose too many to industry. 
But ultimately, I have to believe that what keeps them in the classroom 
is the intangible reward of seeing their students excel, and having a 
group of students come in to a class with little knowledge about a 
topic and have them leave with a firm grasp of core concepts, a desire 
to learn much more, and an excitement to apply what they have learned 
in ``real world'' situations. And I hesitate to use the term ``real 
world,'' because these days there is probably nothing more real world 
than a high school classroom.
  So congratulations and thank you, Ms. Koch-Laveen, for your 
commitment to excellence and dedicated service to your students, your 
community, and to Minnesota. Thanks also to the other hardworking Apple 
Valley teachers here today that strive for excellence in the classroom 
and shoulder so much responsibility for Minnesota's future. It has been 
a pleasure to be here.

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