[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
[April 30, 2003]
[Pages 396-398]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks Honoring the National Teacher of the Year
April 30, 2003
The President. Please be seated. Welcome to the First Lady's Garden.
It's an appropriate place to honor some of our Nation's finest citizens.
After all, the First Lady was and is a teacher,
and I'm glad she said yes. [Laughter]
I want to thank the teachers, who have traveled from all over the
country, for being here today. Thank you for your dedication. Thank you
for your hard and rewarding work. The 54 teachers we honor today deserve
the respect and the gratitude of our entire Nation. This is our way of
thanking you all for your dedication, your service, and your love.
Welcome to Washington.
I want to thank the Secretary of Education for joining us up here. When I picked the Secretary of
Education, I wanted somebody who knew something about public education.
I wasn't interested in a theorist. I was interested in finding a hands-
on person. I knew Rod Paige when I was the Governor of the State of
Texas, and he was the superintendent of the Houston Independent School
District. He set high standards for every child in that district. He
worked hard with teachers to achieve those standards. I really want to
thank Rod for the job he did in Texas and, as importantly, for the job
he's doing for America. Mr. Secretary, welcome.
We've got some fine Members of the United States Congress with us
today: from the State of Georgia, Senator Miller
and Senator Saxby Chambliss--thank you, Zell
and Saxby, for coming; from the State of North Dakota, Senator
Dorgan and Senator
Conrad--I'm honored to see both of you all; Senator Jeff
Sessions and Senator Richard Shelby from the State of Alabama. It turns out that some of
the finalists are from these States. [Laughter] And these Senators and
Members of the House are here to join with Laura
and me in thanking you all for your hard work. From the House of
Representatives: Artur Davis from the State of
Alabama; Mac Collins ``Mac'' from the State
of Georgia; Richard Burr from the State of North Carolina; Earl
Pomeroy from the State of North Dakota; and
Spencer Bachus, who happens to be the
Congressman of the particular lady standing up next to me. Thank you all
for coming. Thank you for your service and your dedication to education.
I do want to congratulate the National Teacher of the Year
finalists: Lorraine Johnson of Newnan,
Georgia; Melissa Bartlett of Statesville,
North Carolina; Jennifer Montgomery of
Bismarck, North Dakota; and Betsy Rogers. ``Betsy''
Dawson I'm going to have a little more to say about her
later. I'm not going to tell you who won yet--[laughter]--but they might
have figured it out. [Laughter]
I want to thank Tom Houlihan, Thomas who is
the executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers. I
appreciate your service so very much. And I want to
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thank the Council of State School Officers and Scholastic, Inc. for
organizing this annual event to recognize our fine teachers. I also want
to thank Edward Richardson, who's the
chief State school officer from Alabama, Ray Simon
from Arkansas, and Kent King Kent from the State of
Missouri for joining us as well.
The teachers we honor today come from many different backgrounds,
from every part of this country. What unites them all is the deep
conviction that every child can learn if given the chance. We honor them
because they are willing to raise high expectations, to raise the
standards for every child, because they know that with high expectations
each child can rise to meet them.
When I campaigned for President, I used to say one of the
commitments I would make is we would challenge the soft bigotry of low
expectations. You all have challenged the soft bigotry by setting high
standards. You believed in the worth of every child. A good teacher
believes in the possibilities of every boy and girl. A good teacher sees
what is possible, and a good teacher believes in the responsibility of
every school to bring out the best in every student.
In 2001, we passed what's called the No Child Left Behind
legislation. I love that phrase, because it's a commitment of our Nation
to make sure that not only does every child excel but no child gets left
behind. Members of both parties, both Republicans and Democrats, came
together to pass this law. Inherent in the law is the vision of high
standards and money to meet the standards and historic reforms, all of
which put the education decisions of America in the hands of teachers
and principals and local officials.
But we also said that as we seek excellence for every child, we must
design accountability systems at the State level to determine whether or
not each child is learning. In order to make sure no child gets left
behind, we must understand whether or not each child is learning to read
and write and add and subtract. And if they are, there will be plenty of
praise. And if they're not, we will work to design programs to make sure
no child gets left behind.
That's the crux of the law. Every State met the law's January 31st
deadline for submitting their accountability plans for approval. I'm
pleased to announce today that Secretary Paige has approved plans from Arkansas, Missouri, and Washington
State, which bring the total number of approved plans to 16, covering 16
million children in public schools across America.
Secretary Paige and his Department
will continue working with the rest of the States to get the plans
approved quickly as possible. People are responding to the challenge at
the local level. People are beginning to develop the accountability
systems to show your States and your communities that you're doing your
job, leaving no doubt in the minds of the parents and taxpayers and
citizens--some of whom praise public schools, some of whom are critical
of public schools--that in fact, you're performing. They will understand
why you're here being honored in Washington, DC, as one of the top 54
teachers around our country.
Education reform depends on good laws and good plans, but you and I
know it ultimately depends upon good teachers. Last June, States
submitted to the Department of Education strategies for ensuring that
all teachers are highly qualified. By this September, States will assess
the programs they expect to make by 2005 and 2006 school year. And the
Department is working with States to help teachers meet new definitions
of teacher quality, so that every classroom will have a well-trained,
highly effective teacher like you all.
Our 2003 National Teacher of the Year is an example of the highest
professional standards and the finest personal qualities. Betsy
Rogers ``Betsy'' Dawson teaches first and
second grade students in Leeds, Alabama. She is an accomplished teacher
with 22 years in the profession who could have her pick of any
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school; yet, she chooses to teach in a school in an underprivileged
rural area because she believes that devoted teachers and principals can
make a difference in the lives of students from every background.
Teaching is a tradition in Betsy's ``Betsy''
Dawson family. Her grandmother was a teacher. Her mother
taught Sunday school for 50 years. In her own career, Betsy Rogers is
known for a commitment to students that goes beyond school hours. She
gives before-school tutoring to students who need extra help learning to
read and volunteers on school committees after hours. She attends
sporting events and birthday parties for her students. She helps the
families of disadvantaged students through local church and community
groups.
Betsy ``Betsy'' Dawson also encourages
her students to help each other. As she puts it, ``No matter what your
circumstances in life, you can always give.'' Teachers like Betsy Rogers
put children on the road to becoming good citizens and, as importantly,
successful adults. They show students that there are a lot of caring
people ready to help along the way.
I thank every one of our Teachers of the Year for your determination
and your love. Each of you is an example of excellence in the classroom.
Each of you is a model for a young teacher to follow. And your students
are fortunate to have talented and good-hearted people in their lives,
and our Nation is fortunate to have you in the classroom. Thank you for
your work. May God bless what you do.
And now I'm pleased to introduce the National Teacher of the Year,
Betsy Rogers. ``Betsy'' Dawson
[At this point, Helen Elizabeth Dawson Rogers made brief remarks.]
The President. Thank you all for coming.
Note: The President spoke at 11:25 a.m. in the First Lady's Garden at
the White House. The transcript released by the Office of the Press
Secretary also included the remarks of National Teacher of the Year
Helen Elizabeth Dawson Rogers.