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March 31, 2008

Andrea Peterson - Teacher of the Year

What an honor! Of all the teachers in the country who dedicate their lives to educating children, Andrea Peterson was chosen as the 2007 National Teacher of the Year. She began her speech by thanking all who paved the way to help her attain this level of distinction. Andrea is a music teacher and stated, “this was an unbelievable honor, a music teacher getting to speak to a bunch of school board members." The audience exploded with laughter and applause. She emphasized that there were so many people working together to help our children succeed. She thanked Board Members and community members for their overflow of support.

Andrea shared a story from earlier in her teaching career. She revealed that she made a "rookie mistake," and didn't take attendance prior to the start of a music concert. She talked about the importance of every member in the orchestra and how in this particular piece of music being played, she realized at the point of his solo, that the cymbal player wasn't there. Not only did he miss his queue, but in a moment of silence, someone exclaimed, "Wow, Joe didn't show up".

In short, the moral in Andrea’s story is that, "we all need to show up to the concert". She acknowledged that she failed as a teacher to show Joe just how important and valuable he was! Of course, this was a lesson learned and she has excelled to greater heights by making sure that she shows up for her students and values their contributions.

She inspired the audience by leaving us with the following quote:

"Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."
-- Martin Luther King Jr.

Andrea is an amazing inspiration to the children of Granite Falls, WA and received this honor which was well deserved. Congratulations and continue the great work that you do on behalf of the children!

Posted by Terri Sharpp, Blog Team, at 2:07 PM | General Session Speakers

Sandra Day O'Connor

For those who believe that civic engagement and learning is a core fundamental purpose for American education then listening to Sandra Day O'Connor was as exciting as the Westside High School Concert Jazz Band from Omaha, NE that played earlier in the session.

Former Justice O'Connor, who is now the co-chair of the Civic Mission of Schools, believes that civic learning has been pushed aside in this current environment of standardized testing and accountability. While she believes these are important goals we need to be careful that we don't lose sight of the fact that to sustain democracy we need an educated and informated citizenry.

Humorously, she cites a few alarming facts. For instance, only one third of Americans can name the three branches of government, but two thirds can name all Three Stooges. Less then 1 in 10 can name the Chief Justice of the US, but 7 out of 10 can name a judge for "American Idol"

She also noted that she's realizes that today's student is dramatically different. Education methods today need to be more engaging and relevant. She cited a few examples of Service Learning programs in Oregon, Maine and Arizona that have integrated civic education in an exciting project-based format. These classes are about teaching students to be citizens, and they will have a toolbox of skills.

Finally, she shared with us a project that is being collaboratively worked on at Arizona State and Georgetown University that is an interactive website to teach civics for K-12 student. It's scheduled to launch in the fall of this year. To learn more go to: http://www.ourcourts.org

Posted by Rich Parker, Blog Team, at 8:23 AM | General Session Speakers

March 30, 2008

Guess Who's Coming to the General Session

Today's general session speaker was 'the' Sydney Poitier. The Academy Award winning and knighted actor told his life-story with a series of 12 'snapshots'. Mr. Poitier success in life didn't come easy, but he was grateful to the many diverse people that helped him along the way. He told a very captivating story starting with his pre-mature birth in Florida and largely culminating with his arrival in Hollywood. He recognized the contributions that others made, from his mother who raised him with a firm hand (WAP! WAP! discipline) to a charitable New York Policeman that helped him find a tempory home and the waiter that helped him learn to read. I'll have to read his book The Measure of a Man : A Spiritual Autobiography, but based on his statements of growing up on a 'semi-primitive' island in the Bahamas to signing up to join the Army in at 16, I don't believe Mr. Poitier had much in the way of a formal eduction. Even at 80 years young and having a very successful life, he feels 'the best may be yet to come'.

Posted by Tom Reed, Blog Team, at 10:38 AM | General Session Speakers

Sidney Poitier Shares the Legacy of His Life

At the beginning of this session, I wondered if I was in store for a rehash of the last speech Sidney Poitier gave for NSBA. Yet as his presentation unfolded, I realized I was in the presence of a great man who was before us distilling his experiences purely, authentically, and with much candor. The crowd had a pervasive feeling of a man sharing a meaningful life. I was struck by how much he loved his parents. His overwhelming gratitude and love for his mother helped mold him into the man he had become.

Over eighty-one years of life, Poitier experienced many challenges of poverty, homelessness, illiteracy, and prejudice. However, his speech was not one of animosity or bitterness. Through bits of self-deprecating humor, he portrayed the people who made a difference in his life. He often didn't know how to thank these people, but he remembered what they did that impacted his life for the better.

Maybe it is this type of sharing that can motivate each of us to be the person who chooses to take the time to recognize someone in need. In recognizing another, we are called to give that person the tools to be self-directed and empowered. Poitier discussed philanthropy. It reminds me that "what goes around, comes around." The ripple effect is powerful!

My favorite line was when Poitier said, "It doesn't matter how many times you fall. It matters what you with your time when you get back up." Thank you, Mr. Poitier, for sharing the legacy of your life. Thank you, NSBA, for bringing him to the 2008 Annual Conference in Orlando. (See related PBS article)

Posted by Molly O'Holleran, Blog Team, at 9:48 AM | General Session Speakers