A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

The Power of Connection

When the forum teachers left Washington, D.C., they left changed. Most trekked back to their states filled, not with a stack of notes and hand-outs, but with a confirmation of the universality of their experiences in the classroom.

One suggested, "It didn't matter whether I talked to a German instructor from Alabama, a sixth grade teacher in New York's Harlem, or a private prep school math teacher. Our understanding of the problems and what must be done to solve them is consistent. There is such power in this connection."

The next step is utilizing that power to make change. It won't be easy. "We have a 100-year history of telling teachers that they don't have a philosophy--that they just need to follow the central office," said Gary Watts of the National Education Association. "They can't just wake up one morning and be totally different."

Nor can the right reforms take hold unless teachers work together," said Bella Rosenberg of the American Federation of Teachers. She refuted the criticism that schools have been unresponsive to students' needs. "They have been too responsive," she said, and "thus diluted their central purpose--to provide access to high content learning."

The Forum teachers are well aware of the challenge that lies ahead. In order to achieve national reform, they must go public with some of their own experiences and expertise. But they must have support from the top down and the circle around.

By appointing former National Teacher of the Year, Terry Dozier, as the first resident teacher-advisor, Secretary Richard Riley has made it clear that teachers will be a significant part of the process of educational reform. As he said at the opening of the Goals 2000 Teacher Forum, we need to listen to teachers so that "those of us who are not teachers keep our feet on the ground when we talk about school reform." Likewise, all politicians, policy makers, and community leaders must include teachers in decisions that affect what goes on in schools.

Terry Dozier stressed the need for teacher leadership saying, "Good teachers must lead because they can't tolerate mediocrity for their students, themselves, or this nation. They must lead because they have a vision for America. But, teacher leadership needs support and dignity; teacher leadership needs to have its voice heard."

The voice of these outstanding teachers who believe in themselves and in their experience resounds in this document. It is a song of excellence, and they sing it for children.

***last updated 5/18/94 (pkickbush)***
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Learning from the Best (Continued) Table of Contents 1993 Goals 2000 Teacher Forum Participants