[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 31 (Monday, August 9, 1993)]
[Pages 1580-1583]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Honoring Teachers Hall of Fame Inductees and an Exchange With 
Reporters

 August 5, 1993

    The President. Thank you, Mr. Secretary, and good afternoon to all 
of you. I'm sorry we started a little late, but I think you know I've 
been in there on the telephone to the Congress.
    It's a great pleasure to welcome all of you here, especially the 
inductees into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. I'd also like to 
thank the representatives of Emporia State University, the Emporia 
public schools, and the city of Emporia, Kansas, for all their hard work 
in establishing the National Teachers Hall of Fame. Recognizing our 
teachers is a wonderful idea, and I hope I can help to do it every year 
I'm here.
    We're here to honor the spirit and the dedication of teaching that 
motivates this wonderful group of educators, people who every day in 
small towns and large cities bring to our young people the gift of 
learning. Every one of us has a memory of a teacher who literally 
changed our lives. A good teacher does more than pass on information. A 
good teacher inspires a thirst for learning that lasts a lifetime, 
instilling confidence, conveying values, shaping our understanding of 
the world around us. I'm reminded of a quote from Henry Brooks Adams: 
``A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence 
stops.''
    The 10 men and women we recognize today, chosen from hundreds of 
nominees, are examples of our Nation's finest teachers. Not only do they 
bring a special gift for teaching, they've all made other contributions 
to their communities. Each of them has a unique style of teaching and a 
vision for the role of education that must be played now and well into 
the 21st century.
    I'd like to acknowledge each of these inductees, beginning with the 
ones from 1992. First, Sheryl Abshire from Lake Charles, Louisiana. She 
served--I'm going to see if I can pronounce this, and I'm from Arkansas, 
I should be able to pronounce this--she served the Calcasieu--is that 
right?--Calcasieu Parish schools for 18 years as an elementary school 
teacher and library/media specialist. Today she is the principal of 
Westwood Elementary in Westlake, Louisiana. She's made technology a part 
of the total elementary curriculum and has brought such innovative 
learning projects to her State that the president of the Louisiana 
Association of Teachers credits her for setting the standard in 
Louisiana for instructional technology.
    The second winner is Anna Alfiero of Norwichtown, Connecticut, who 
has taught science and math at Clark Lane Junior High in Waterford, 
Connecticut, for 31 years. She has found new ways to bring economics to 
the classroom and to make math real to her enthusiastic students. This 
is particularly important because one of our Nation's most pressing 
educational challenges is to improve the math skills of the next 
generation.
    Third is Helen Case from El Dorado, Kansas. She attended a one-room 
rural school in the early 1900's. I hate to say that. [Laughter] And she 
has dedicated her life to serving others. She began teaching at the 
tender age of 17 and went on to teach in the Kansas public school system 
for 45 years. She integrated innovative teaching methods into her 
curriculum long before they became widely popular. I hear she used to 
hold mock sessions of Congress, national party conventions, and 
elections in her classes. Maybe she can give me a tip or two today. 
[Laughter]
    I'd next like to acknowledge Shirley Cunningham Naples from Detroit, 
Michigan. During each of her 23 years in the schools of Ferndale, 
Michigan, Mrs. Naples issued a challenge to her students to be the best. 
And every year they did just that, because she did. Parents in Ferndale 
started planning as early as kindergarten for their children to be in 
her class because of the personal commitment she made to the education 
of each and every one of her students. She also contributes her teaching 
skills to help immigrant boat children become successful English-
speaking members of the school community.

[[Page 1581]]

    Next is Joseph York of Memphis, Tennessee, who teaches senior 
English at Adamsville Junior-Senior High School. Practically no one in 
his community is beyond his reach. In addition to teaching his regular 
students during the day, he tutors other teachers and children and 
teaches 4 nights a week at area universities, including the regional 
State prison. This incredible energy and devotion to teaching stems from 
his belief that a student's learning ability is directly related to his 
or her self image.
    Let's give them all a hand. [Applause]
    And now, the 1993 inductees: Leslie Black from Northport, Alabama. 
During her 25 years of teaching, Mrs. Black has been recognized for her 
efforts to strengthen and encourage a better link between home and 
school, something that I believe very strongly in, as I had experience 
in my State with a preschool program that my wife brought to Arkansas 
called the home instruction program for preschool youngsters. Mrs. Black 
has brought individualized instruction to the classroom and has worked 
to integrate music, the arts, and cultural awareness into the daily 
curriculum. She was also awarded the 1992 Presidential Award for 
Excellence in mathematics.
    Next is Stewart R. Bogdanoff of Yorktown Heights, New York. For 28 
years a physical education teacher for the Lakeland Central School 
District in Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, he's helped develop the 
physical fitness curriculum and after-school programs that not only 
enriches the lives of students but also provides stimulating learning 
environments as well. He's dedicated countless hours to working with 
disabled athletes and received the Point of Light award from President 
Bush for his dedication to community projects.
    I'd like to say just parenthetically, I become more and more 
concerned about the physical health of our people as we enter into this 
great debate about national health care. I think it is very important 
that we not overlook the fact that it is my judgment a real mistake to 
cut back on physical education for all students in schools at a time 
when we're trying to build better health habits in all the American 
people.
    Next, Ida Daniel Dark of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During 31 years 
of teaching music, she has been dedicated to providing a culturally rich 
learning environment to all of her students, including physically and 
mentally challenged children. She's developed a music curriculum for 
severely and profoundly impaired children which is now being used 
throughout the United States and Canada and has established a program 
that allows inner-city students to attend theater, art, and music 
presentations on the weekends.
    Next is James K. Jackson, Sr., of Wauconda, Illinois, a true 
visionary, an industrial education teacher at Mundelein High School 
who's made students and parents part of his dream of building and flying 
airplanes. He's found imaginative ways to teach technology-advanced 
subjects that can help students prepare for the rigors of a rapidly 
changing world. His students built the airplane that he flew to the 
National Teachers Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Emporia. Now, 
that's real confidence in your students. [Laughter] Is that true?
    And finally, Christine Lungren-Maddalone of Long Beach, California, 
an elementary teacher at John Greenleaf Whittier Elementary School in 
Long Beach. After the Los Angeles riots in 1992, she set up after-school 
self-esteem enhancement classes for her students and talked to them 
about the need for a responsible change in the aftermath of the riots. 
She tries to teach her students to learn from life's experiences and has 
proven that all children, when given the chance, can succeed.
    Let's give them a hand, too. [Applause] Good for you.
    I do want to say that in recognizing and honoring these teachers, I 
know they would want us to, through them, honor the contributions of 
teachers throughout our Nation. These teachers are reminders that we 
must allow teachers to do what they do best, to teach. And we must 
struggle here in Washington and in every State capital and in all the 
central offices of all the school districts to empower teachers to teach 
and not to break them down with the burdens of bureaucracy and 
requirements that have nothing to do with whether their children can

[[Page 1582]]

learn. We have to allow teachers and principals and parents to make more 
of their own decisions, to set the agendas and to chart the future 
course of their schools and their children's education with clear 
standards so they can know whether our children are doing as they should 
in a tough, global environment.

    We in Washington are trying to recommit ourselves to making the 
Federal Government a real partner in education. That's why Secretary 
Riley and I have worked so hard to make the national education goals the 
foundation of true reform. We have to make sure that our children start 
school ready to learn and have the opportunity to succeed. And we have 
to challenge all of them to meet rigorous, world-class standards of 
learning. We owe this to them, to their future, and to all the rest of 
us as well. That's why I'm so proud to be here to honor the achievements 
and dedication of these wonderful teachers.

    I thank them for coming, and I'd now like to invite here Robert 
Glennen, the President of the National Teachers Hall of Fame, to the 
stage to make a few remarks. Mr. Glennen.

[At this point, Mr. Glennen made brief remarks.]

Economic Program

    Q. Mr. President, can we ask you what you're telling these Congress 
Members you're on the phone with, what appeals are you making, and what 
more can you do?

    The President. Well, we've done a lot of work today to try to sketch 
out what will happen in the next couple of months after this process. 
And the argument I'm making is that this is the beginning, not the end, 
of our efforts to have responsible budgeting. There will be one more 
round of budget cuts. There will be the unveiling of the Vice 
President's report on reinventing Government, which will have billions 
of dollars in further savings that can be achieved. There will be the 
opportunity to control health care costs in the context of the health 
care reform bill in a way that will not be unfair to older people on 
Medicare.

    So, what I am suggesting to them is that this is clearly the best 
chance for real deficit reduction, for a fair apportionment of the 
spending cuts and revenue increases and for an economic plan that will 
grow the economy. And no one I have talked to, including people who say 
that they may not vote for it, has suggested that anybody believes 
seriously that a better result will occur if the bill does not pass. So 
I feel pretty good.

    Q. ----convene a special conference to find more budget cuts or a 
session of Congress, similar to what Kerrey is proposing?

    The President. I've been working with them for 2 or 3 days. And I'm 
very much open to that. We have to do something like that anyway to deal 
with the Vice President's reinventing Government report. And what we had 
planned to do was to suggest that there be a bipartisan commission, 
including Members of both parties of Congress, to review these 
recommendations. So we can certainly accommodate this.

    What I keep trying to tell all the Members is this is the beginning 
of this process, not the end. There's a whole lot more work to be done. 
We've just been here 7 months. You know, finally they've got somebody 
here who's serious about responsible budgeting instead of just talking 
about it. And the argument I'm making to them is there is no 
alternative. And every alternative we saw from the other side had less 
deficit reduction, more bogus spending cuts, and did not ask the wealthy 
to pay their fair share. And there were no economic growth incentives. 
And after all, the whole purpose of this is to generate jobs and 
revitalize the economy. So I feel pretty good about it.

    Q. Have you spoken to Senator Kerrey, sir? And whether you have or 
not, do you know where he is on this?

    The President. I'm going to follow my ironclad rule on this. I'm 
going to let the Members speak for themselves. Yes, I have spoken to 
him.

Bosnia

    Q. ----Sarajevo, it looks like the siege is getting worse and may 
not be able to wait until Monday. Do the allies and the United States 
need to move it up to protect the city before it falls?

    The President. I can't answer that now, because I haven't been 
briefed on it. But I

[[Page 1583]]

may have something to say about it later. I'm sorry.

Economic Program

    Q. Have any of the Members you've spoken with made it a prerequisite 
that there be a so-called budget session or whatever for them to vote 
for this package?

    The President. Well, let me say, I have offered a whole series of 
things that are consistent with what I have believed in all along. I 
mean, a lot of the Members want a separate bill which contains the 
budget control measures that the House adopted, that the Senate rules 
wouldn't permit. They want further opportunities to shave the budget, 
which I have committed to and which I strongly support, have from the 
beginning. They want opportunities for other issues to be debated 
between now and the end of the year relating to the structure of the 
budget, all of which I have agreed to. So I think there is no question 
here--there is no serious suggestion that we could get a better result 
if this bill does not pass. So I think that we've got a very good chance 
to pass it. But you know, I never predict until they vote.

    Thank you.

    Q. Any Republican votes, Mr. President?

    The President. A lot of them want for it.

    Q. How do you know that?

    The President. ----several of them say they'd like to vote for it--
--

    Q. Who did you talk to today--round number?

    The President. I don't know, a bunch.

Family and Medical Leave Act

    Q. ----today, what do you say to the people, the businessmen who are 
now complaining about this new mandate?

    The President. That if we're going to be prowork and profamily, we 
have to make it possible for people to succeed as parents and as 
workers. We cannot force people to choose between the two. Most parents 
have no choice but to work. But parenting is still the most important 
job of society.

    And all these nations with which we compete provide for those kind 
of family supports. We were one of the very few nations in the world 
that had achieved any kind of standard of living that didn't provide 
this basic protection for families. I think it will increase 
productivity in the work force, increase the morale of workers, and 
people will make a lot more money out of it than it will cost them by 
sticking up for the families.

Note: The President spoke at 4:20 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these 
remarks.