President Announces Teacher of the Year and Honors State Teachers
Remarks by the President at Ceremony for the Teacher of the Year
The First Lady's Garden
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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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: Arthur Davis, from the state of
Alabama; Mac Collins, 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 the 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.
(Applause.)
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. 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, who is the Executive Director of the
Council of Chief State School Officers. I appreciate your service so
very much. And I want to 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 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.
(Applause.) 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 of 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 -- (applause)
-- which bring the total number of approved plans to 16, covering 16
million children in public schools across America.
Secretary Paige's 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, D.C. 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
teaches 1st and 2nd grade students in Leeds, Alabama. She is an
accomplished teacher with 22 years in the profession, who could have
her pick of any 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 family. Her grandmother was a
teacher. He 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 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.
(Applause.)
MS. ROGERS: Thank you, Mr. President, Mrs. Bush, and Secretary
Paige. What a wonderful day it is to be here for this honor. Thank
you so much for giving us, the teachers of America, the opportunity to
come together and share our joy of teaching with you and the nation.
It's quite overwhelming to be recognized for something that you love to
do every day.
It has been said that children are the messages we will send to a
time that many of us will never see. What an awesome responsibility
and amazing privilege it is for us, as educators, to work with the
future of America.
Our children are our hope for tomorrow, and a promise for a better
day. We all want to live in a country where all our children are
valued so much, that there would never be an issue of equity in
education. We all want to live in a country where it would be
unthinkable for any child not to have a highly-qualified teacher. And
we all want to live in a country where our citizens would be outraged
if any child attended a school where the classroom environment was not
safe, secure and nurturing. All of us want to live in a country where
our legacy to the world is how we've taken care of our children.
Every teacher in America thanks you today from the bottom of our
heart. We accept the responsibility of representing all the teachers
across the nation. It will be a great honor for all of us this day.
Thank you so much. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. (Applause.)