Teachers from both St. Mary's Elementary and High Schools were impressed and motivated as they listened to Keynote Speaker Jamie Vollmer at the ESU Fall Conference in Norfolk, NE on October 26.

Mr. Vollmer is president of the Local Control Project which specializes in building community support for the process of school transformation. He stated that despite the fact that education has changed, teachers must teach all students the basics: reading, writing, and math. However, teachers are expected to add many extrinsic things to the curriculum such as multi-culturalism, sex-education, and drug abuse materials. Teacher's work has become much more complex and demanding, yet no time has been added to the school day or year. Teachers do not have enough time to do what they are asked to do. He emphasized that educators are doing a good job. More students are going to college, ACT scores are higher, and there are fewer drop outs.

The keynote speaker believes that the education system is being undermined by several menacing groups: entrepreneurs, political opportunists, eyeball religious extremist, as grinders and talk show hosts. These groups are using many unfair scare tactics in an attempt to run our school. They are undermining public trust. Communities believe them because they go directly to the people with their ideas and are forceful in their presentations.

Teachers need to get their ideas to the people. They need to toot their own horns. Teachers need more time to talk with one another professionally. Vollmer suggested adding ten non-instructional days with full pay for teachers so that teachers can attend seminars, workshops, or just plain talk with one another.

 Mr. Vollmer ended on a positive note telling the teachers that they make the world whole. Teachers need everyone's support because they build the bridge for children to cross into the future.

Ruth McCarville