For Immediate Release
Office of Mrs. Bush
February 19, 2003
Remarks by Mrs. Bush at New Teacher Project - University of New Orleans
Thank you, Nakita for your enthusiasm and for your warm welcome. Thank
you, Mrs. Foster and Ambassador Boggs for being here. Thank you,
Superintendent Amato, and students of the University of New Orleans for
welcoming me to the home of the Privateers. I am delighted to be here
with Michelle Rhee who runs The New Teacher Project. Michelle, thanks
to your hard work, more than six thousand new teachers are inspiring
students in America's classroom.
And thank you, Chancellor O'Brien for your welcome. UNO has a
wonderful reputation for preparing America's best and brightest
teachers. I had the pleasure of meeting one of these remarkable
teachers this morning. Jeannine Boutte is not only a UNO alum, she is
a great teacher. Jeannine, thank you, for being here.
We need more like teachers like you in Louisiana's and America's
classrooms - more who believe that every child can learn - and that
every child deserves an excellent education. We need more teachers who
will share their life experiences and their talent with children.
Philosopher John Dewey said, "Education is not preparation for life -
education is life itself." Each of you here today has an opportunity to
improve the life of a child in your community.
Think about this awesome privilege for just a moment. There are few
professions where you can see the impact of your work so vividly. There
aren't many jobs where hero and best friend are part of the job title.
And there are few careers that have such a lasting effect on an entire
generation and an entire nation. Teachers shape the minds of our
children and the destiny of our country. Teachers fill children's lives
with hope, learning and love - not just on school days, but every day
of their life.
This is what Jeannine Boutte does. Jeannine knew she wanted to be a
teacher from a very young age. Like me, she was inspired by her own
teachers. She received her bachelors and Masters in Education from UNO
and was well prepared to teach upon graduation. Although, Jeannine
admits that UNO didn't prepare her to explain why clouds sometimes look
like rabbits or if Webster really knew all of those words in the
dictionary. Jeannine has good answers for these questions and a great
education; and today she is Sherwood Forest's Teacher of the Year.
Congratulations, Jeannine.
Although she loves her job, Jeannine is the first to admit that
teaching is difficult. Students' needs are many and varied. In every
classroom across the country, there are children from single family
homes and those who come to school hungry. The responsibilities of
teachers have expanded to meet these needs. To be a great teacher,
Jeannine says, ".You have to have the wisdom of Ghandi; the courage of
a lion; the patience of Job; a heart of gold; and the creativity of
Martha Stewart."
Jeannine used all of these talents to help one of her students who
lost his Dad, a police officer, in the line of duty. Her student was
not reading at grade level and he was having a hard time dealing with
the loss. Jeannine read about children and how they grieve. She spent
extra time reading with her student and encouraged him to read more at
home. At the beginning of the next school year the boy's mom came to
visit Jeannine. She said over the summer all her son wanted to do was
go to the library and read.
One day as she read a magazine in the library, her son looked up at
her and said, "Mom, if you read a chapter book, you might learn
something." It was then that the boy mom's realized what an impact
Jeannine had made on her son. Jeannine learned that children really do
listen to their teachers and that teachers really do make a
difference.
There are few professions where you can make such a difference like
in teaching. In many jobs you can work nine to five; you can sit at a
desk doing the same thing day after day. But with teaching, every day
is a new day and every child is unique. For Jeannine, the rewards of
teaching are the love and admiration of children and the benefit of
knowing that she is making a difference.
Jeannine, thank you for your commitment to children. Your energy
and enthusiasm for teaching is reflected in your students' enthusiasm
for learning. Although they think you are the hardest teacher they've
ever had, they all say you are the best teacher they've ever had.
Serena thinks that Ms. Boutte is "the best teacher in the whole world,
because she makes learning fun, just like a game." David thinks Ms.
Boutte is a great teacher because she taught him multiplication and
division.
Because of your example, many of your students want to be teachers
when they grow up, especially Amber. She wants to go to the University
of New Orleans and become a teacher, "because she wants to be a person
just like Ms. Boutte." Amber is well on her way because she knows the
importance of a good education. This nine-year old said, "You have to
read and study because you can not get through life without good
reading and math skills."
We will need Amber, David and Serena in our classrooms of the
future. Today in America, we have more students in school than ever
before. More children who want the American dream - and who undeniably
deserve it. To add to this challenge, more than two million new
teachers will be needed in America's classrooms in the next decade.
You can be one of them. Orleans Parish Teaching Fellows wants you
to become the teachers of tomorrow. Through this program you will be
placed in a school where your training and talent are truly needed. And
you will have mentors to guide you along the way - mentors like
Jeannine and Kevin Dickerson. A graduate of Orleans Parish Public
School and of UNO, Kevin spent twenty years in the computer industry
before becoming a teacher. Today, he brings his much-needed technology
experience to the classroom.
He helps students earn their certification in computer repair - and
he teaches them about the "real-world" applications of the programs
they learn. Kevin became a teacher for one of the best reasons - to
give something back to his community. And he is doing just that at New
Orleans School of Science and Mathematics.
Kevin and Jeannine are doing the greatest community service of all.
If you see yourself in one of these remarkable people, then teaching is
for you. Teaching is the absolute profession, the one that makes all
others possible. Teachers help students develop the skills they need
for a lifetime of learning and a lifetime of possibility. Our
children's future success depends on their education. America's future
depends on our teachers - and New Orleans' children are depending on
you. Become a teacher. Thank you.
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