[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: GEORGE W. BUSH (2001, Book I)]
[April 23, 2001]
[Pages 444-446]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks on Presenting the National Teacher of the Year Award
April 23, 2001
The President. Thank you all very much. Welcome to the Rose Garden.
I was wondering if it was ever going to get warm in Washington.
[Laughter] It does.
Mr. Secretary, thank you, and thanks
for your kind introduction and thanks for your service to the children
of our country. I don't know if you know this or not, but just last week
in Monticello, Mississippi, there was a school named in Rod's honor.
It's the school he attended as a young man.
What makes the story interesting is that students of his generation
were segregated by race. No more in this great land called America. The
Rod Paige Middle School will know loud and clear that education breaks
[[Page 445]]
down any barrier to success. Mr. Secretary, you're a role model for students across America and for a
couple of adults, as well.
Education Secretary Roderick R. Paige.
Well, thank you. Thank you.
The President. And I'm proud to have you on my team.
Secretary Paige. Thank you.
The President. I'd like to thank the Council of Chief State School
Officers, Scholastic, Inc., and the National Selection Committee for
organizing this event. You've done a splendid job. And I want to welcome
to the White House Peter McWalters,
president of the Council of Chief State School Officers, and Gordon
Ambach, its executive director.
And I also want to welcome and congratulate 56 teachers of the year
from all across America. You know, I used to say as the Governor of
Texas, you can never thank a good teacher enough. Well, I'm going to try
to do it as President: Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts.
I especially want to congratulate the finalists: Christa
Compton and Tonya Perry, Derek Minakami and Michele
Forman, the National Teacher of the Year.
I'll have a few things more to say about Michele in a moment.
For a half century, the White House has hosted a ceremony honoring
the National Teacher of the Year and the State Teachers of the Year.
Every American President since Harry Truman has presented this award,
and that's as it should be. What we honor tells the world what we value,
and we value America's teachers.
``A teacher affects eternity,'' Henry Adams once wrote. He meant
that their influence is unending. Teachers play a vital role in the
intellectual and moral education of children. They teach children how to
read and write, and they teach children right from wrong. They teach
students to love knowledge and to disdain ignorance. Teachers inspire
students, fire imaginations, nurture their natural abilities, and
encourage them to explore the possibilities of life. They prepare good
students to be good citizens. They also know, better than anyone else,
they can't do it alone.
It's so important for the moms and dads of America to hear this
message: Be a good parent; love your children; teach your children to
read early in life; and support the teachers who are spending time with
your most precious, precious part of your family.
One of my predecessors as Governor of Texas was a guy named Sam
Houston. Sam Houston was a United States Senator, the Governor of two
States, Texas and Tennessee. He was even a President--the President of
the Republic of Texas. And yet, with all these impressive
accomplishments, he wrote that being a teacher in Maryville, Tennessee,
gave him a higher feeling of dignity and satisfaction than any other
office or honor he ever held.
Well, this year's National Teacher of the Year, Michele
Forman, demonstrates the dignity and
satisfaction of teaching. Mrs. Forman teaches social studies at
Middlebury Union High, in Middlebury, Vermont. She says this: ``I think
I have the best job in the world. Every day is something new.''
Mrs. Forman arrives at school every day
at 6:30 a.m., a full 2 hours before the students arrive. Three mornings
a week she teaches Arabic, which she's been doing for the past 4 years.
Students earn no credit by taking the course; they attend the classes
because of their love of learning--and probably, mostly because of their
love of Mrs. Forman.
Michele Forman knows her subjects and has
high expectations for her students. She believes there must be a mutual
trust between teachers and students. She's highly regarded by her
colleagues. She's a woman of boundless energy and enthusiasm. In all
these ways, she is an example of excellence in education.
And so it's a high honor to present to Michele Forman the National Teacher of the Year Award.
[[Page 446]]
[At this point, Mrs. Forman made brief
remarks.]
The President. Well, Michele, thank you
very much. In keeping the fine tradition of never missing to want an
opportunity--[laughter]--or to waste an opportunity, let me say a few
words about a pressing issue and a great opportunity for our country.
This week the United States Senate will begin debate on what's known
as S-1, appropriately named because it is my number one priority, it is
your number priority, and it's an education reform proposal. This is not
just about another legislative debate. It's the best opportunity in a
generation for having meaningful education reform come out of
Washington, DC.
And we have an ambitious goal: All our children, every child in
America, must have access to a safe and high quality school, so we make
sure that standards are high. It's so important to raise the bar and
expect the best from every child, just like you do; that results are
tested--people shouldn't fear accountability systems in America. We want
to know. We want to know whether children can read and write and add and
subtract. And if not, we'll make sure they do early, before it is too
late, and that schools are accountable.
We give more States more flexibility and freedom. We trust teachers
in the classrooms, as opposed to having mandates out of Washington.
We've got to trust teachers and principals to chart the path for
excellence for every child, provide greater options for parents with
bipartisan support for charter schools or public school choice or
private tutoring programs.
In separate legislation we are working for liability reform to
support and protect teachers who enforce reasonable standards of conduct
in their classrooms. We're encouraging more of America's best and
brightest citizens, including those who have served in the Armed Forces,
to become teachers. This is a project near and dear to my wife
Laura's heart. Unfortunately, she's not here. I
wish she was, because she could explain a lot better than I could, but
she's out traveling the Nation, reminding people that one of the most
noble professions ever is to be a teacher, and recruiting teachers. And
she's doing such a good job, I need to send her up to the Congress to
convince them to behave.
We'll increase spending on education and focus that new spending on
reforming schools that aren't performing well or on a powerful reading
initiative.
I support historic new levels of education funding. Yet all of us
know better schools require more than just funding. And I hope the
Senate hears that we need meaningful education reform by high standards,
accountability. My education reform has a good balance of new dollars.
Now, one of the interesting things that historians learn--and
Michele is an historian--is that the
President proposes, the Congress disposes. But the truth of the matter
is, the people rule. And I hope the people of America contact the
Members of the Senate and insist upon a passage of a well-balanced,
meaningful reform package that will enhance our teachers' ability to do
what you do well, which is to teach our kids.
It's an honor for me to be here. I welcome you to the Nation's
Capital. And once again, thanks from the bottom of my heart, on behalf
of all of America, for doing the job you do.
God bless.
Note: The President spoke at 2:50 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
House.