[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
[April 26, 2006]
[Pages 811-814]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Honoring the 2006 National and State Teachers of the Year
April 26, 2006

    I was going to say, thank you, Laura, for 
those kind remarks. [Laughter] Please be seated. Thank you all. Welcome.
    This is one of the great afternoons for Laura 
and me. We love to recognize our teachers. We really appreciate you 
coming. Actually, this is an annual event started by Harry Truman. And 
I'm glad to be a part of a tradition here at the White House, saying 
thanks to our teachers.
    I admire teachers and like teachers so much, I married one. 
[Laughter] Laura is a great advocate for literacy 
and a strong supporter for America's teachers, and I'm really proud to 
have her by my side during these unbelievable times and this great 
experience of serving our country--other than being a fine introducer. 
[Laughter]
    The thing I like about teaching is, teaching is such an optimistic 
profession. I know when teachers look out at their classrooms, you see 
more than a child at play or at study. You're able to see a child with 
big dreams and big hopes. You see future doctors and scientists and 
entrepreneurs and inventors, and I hope you see even a teacher or two.
    You dedicated your lives to the formation of young minds. You're 
giving our children the skills they need to succeed in life and equally 
important, the courage and the drive to realize those dreams. Our Nation 
is grateful for your hard work. We appreciate what you do, and we are 
honored you're here at the White House.
    I want to thank our Secretary of Education, Margaret 
Spellings. She's been a long-time friend. 
She believes strongly in the classroom teacher, and she believes in the 
potential of every child.
    I'm pleased to recognize Senator Sam Brownback, for the State of Kansas. Welcome. I'm glad you're here--
and his wife, Mary; thank you for coming. As 
well as Congressman Dennis Moore from Kansas 
and Stephene, thank you all for taking time 
to honor the teachers who are here.
    I appreciate the National Teacher of the Year Finalists: Sam 
Bennett from Florida--say hello to 
the Governor--[laughter]--Ron Poplau of Kansas--no wonder you all are here--and Susan 
Barnard of Washington State. We're really glad 
you're here. Congratulations on setting such a fine example.
    Everybody here has been introduced to Kim Oliver, but you haven't met her parents, Vincent and Veronica. Thank you 
all very much--brothers, cousins, and significant other. [Laughter]
    I want to thank all the Teachers of the Year from around our country 
who are here. I really--Laura and I really 
enjoyed having our picture with you. It's just a brief moment to say 
thanks. But nevertheless, it's thanks from the bottom of our hearts. And 
it really means a lot you're here.

[[Page 812]]

    I thank Dr. Tom Houlihan, who is the 
executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers. That's 
one of the sponsoring organizations. Thank you for your service, Tom.
    Margery Mayer, of the Scholastic 
Education--Scholastic Inc. I want to thank Margery for being here. 
That's also a sponsoring organization of this event.
    Kathleen Murphy is the president of ING, 
is here with us, as well as Tom Waldron, 
who is the executive vice president. These are the sponsoring groups of 
this important occasion.
    I also want to thank the chief state school officers who are with 
us. Good to see you all. Nice going. Hiring and promoting good teachers 
is a really important part of your job. I want you to know that we know 
that being a teacher is difficult work. It's a hard job. It's a job that 
requires compassion and determination and extraordinary patience. And as 
Laura hinted, or maybe didn't hint, I was 
probably one of those kind that tested your patience. [Laughter]
    You're helping young people to learn the basics of reading and 
writing and adding and subtracting. You're serving as mentors and, 
probably most importantly, as role models. You help kindle young 
imaginations, and you inspire a love of learning. It's a pretty 
significant job description, when you think about it. And the teachers 
we honor here today are excelling at that job.
    Your daily efforts help young Americans grow into successful adults. 
In other words, you're building the future for the country. We ask a lot 
of our teachers, and we owe you a lot in return. Education is my top 
domestic priority. And when I first came to office, I worked with 
members of both political parties--believe it or not, it's possible here 
in Washington to occasionally do that--to increase funding from the 
Federal level but also to pass the No Child Left Behind Act. The spirit 
of the No Child Left Behind Act basically says, society has a deep 
obligation to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations, that we 
believe every child can learn, and therefore, we believe it makes sense 
to determine whether or not every child is learning. And if not, there 
ought to be extra help so that no child in our society is left behind.
    We're beginning to see good results, thanks to our Nation's 
teachers. The 2005 Nation's Report Card showed America's fourth graders 
are posting the best scores in reading and math in the history of the 
test. African American and Hispanic fourth graders set records in 
reading and math last year. America's eighth graders earned the best 
math scores ever recorded. Eighth grade Hispanic and African American 
students achieved their highest math scores ever. We're making really 
important strides toward closing an achievement gap in America, and I 
want to thank our teachers for your hard work.
    There's more work to be done, obviously. I've recently launched the 
American Competitiveness Initiative, which will help our students do 
better in math and science. We need to train 70,000 high school teachers 
to lead AP courses in math and science. I know we've got some AP 
teachers here, and I want to thank you for that.
    We need to bring 30,000 math and science professionals into our 
classrooms to send a message to our children: It's okay to be a 
mathematician or a scientist--as a matter of fact, it's cool. We want to 
make sure that we help students who struggle with math get extra help to 
make sure that--to make sure they have a chance to be able to earn the 
high-wage jobs of the 21st century. If we ensure that America's children 
have the skills they need to succeed in life, we will make sure America 
succeeds in the world.
    Improving the quality of education for young Americans requires good 
laws and good policies, but ultimately it depends on good teachers. And 
that is why we're here on the South Lawn, to honor really good teachers.

[[Page 813]]

    The Teacher of the Year, Kim Oliver, 
teaches kindergarten at Broad Acres Elementary School in Silver Spring, 
Maryland. Broad Acres is Montgomery County's highest poverty school, a 
place where 90 percent of the children qualify for federally-subsidized 
meals and about 75 percent have parents who do not speak English at 
home.
    It's a school filled with the kind of students that inspired Kim 
Oliver to become a teacher. Kim decided to 
become a teacher at a young age. It's really interesting for teachers to 
hear what she said. She said, ``As a young child, I loved and admired my 
day care teacher, Mrs. Chandler. I wanted 
to be just like her. Mrs. Chandler made me feel special, as if I were 
the only child in her class.''
    Kim Oliver had many friends growing up 
who came from unstable and impoverished homes. She says, ``I watched so 
many of my friends live up to the low expectations that were set for 
them. To this day, I find myself wondering, what if my disadvantaged 
friends had 12 years worth of Mrs. Chandlers in their lives?'' Kim went on to say, ``I chose to 
become a teacher to motivate and inspire the neediest students, who many 
have written off, and let them know they can achieve and succeed in life 
regardless of what the statistics may show.''
    I love that attitude. I think you're beginning to get the drift of 
why she's the Teacher of the Year. When Kim 
Oliver arrived at Broad Acres in 2000, the school was threatened with 
forced restructuring by the State as a result of poor academic 
performance. Ms. Oliver took a leadership role at the school. That's 
what good teachers do; they take the lead. She became a teacher-leader 
and helped lead a collaborative effort to improve the curriculum, 
instruction, and assessment. She helped establish instructional planning 
sessions and formal procedures to examine student work and improve 
student performance.
    She noticed that many parents at the 
school lacked the language skills to be able to read to their children 
and to be able to help with their school work. And so she and her 
colleagues purchased cassette players and recorded books on tape for the 
students to take home and share with their families, which made it a lot 
easier for parents who struggle with English to help their children.
    Kim Oliver also organized a regular 
``Books and Supper Night,'' where families could check out books from 
the library and read together before sharing a dinner, which fostered 
learning and family involvement in their children's education. She knows 
what good teachers know: If you can get the parents involved in the 
child's education, you have a much better chance of succeeding. She set 
high expectations. Good teachers set high expectations. She provided 
needed assistance. She involved families, and she helped turn that 
school around.
    Within 2 years of her arrival, kindergarten students at Broad Acres 
were mastering early reading skills at higher rates than other schools 
in the district. After 3 years, Broad Acres students were meeting or 
exceeding all requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. There were 
dramatic increases in reading and math scores for the school's second 
graders.
    The Superintendent of Schools in Montgomery County says this about the impact Kim Oliver has had: ``She has a rare gift for touching hearts 
and minds, inspiring in her students to aim high and believe in their 
potential.'' A Broad Acres parent says, ``She 
knows how to talk to the children so they will listen.'' And all her 
students know that she cares about them. She made them all feel like 
they were smart and could learn anything. One of her colleagues says, ``When you walk into Ms. Oliver's classroom, one 
cannot help but notice that this is a special place.'' She is dedicated 
to her school community and committed to excellence, and she has been an 
instrumental force in improving student achievement at her school.

[[Page 814]]

    Kim says the reason her students are 
achieving is simple: ``I have high expectations for each of them. I 
teach them that they can accomplish anything with hard work and 
persistence.''
    Kim Oliver understands that the key to 
helping children succeed is fighting the soft bigotry of low 
expectations. When a teacher believes that a child can learn, it's 
amazing what happens; a student believes that he or she can learn.
    America is blessed to have teachers like Kim Oliver. We're blessed to have teachers like all those who 
are gathered here at the White House. We thank you for the love and 
devotion you've shown our children each day.
    May God continue to bless your work, and may God continue to bless 
our country. Thank you for coming.

Note: The President spoke at approximately 1:46 p.m. on the South Lawn 
at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Stephene Moore, wife 
of Congressman Dennis Moore; Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida; Margery W. Mayer, 
executive vice president and president, Scholastic Education; and Jerry 
D. Weast, superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools. The 
transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary also included 
the remarks of the First Lady, who introduced the President.