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State Legislators - Helena, Montana 9/18/89 [1]
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1
REMARKS: STATE LEGISLATURES
HELENA, MONTANA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1989
GOVERNOR STEPHENS, SENATOR BURNS, CONGRESSMAN
MARLENEE, REPRESENTATIVE PecK, SPEAKER VINCENT, SENATE
PRESIDENT GALT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. GOOD AFTERNOON,
AND THANK YOU FOR THAT INTRODUCTION. AND LET ME SAY
WHAT A PLEASURE IT IS TO ADDRESS THIS FIVE-STATE
CONFERENCE.
- 2 -
You KNOW, BEING HERE IN HELENA REMINDS ME OF A TV
SERIES A FEW MONTHS BACK. MAYBE YOU SAW IT. "LONESOME
DOVE." ABOUT A CATTLE DRIVE WHICH STARTED DOWN IN
TEXAS AND WOUND UP IN MONTANA. WELL, THIS IS ONE TEXAN
WHO'S FOLLOWED SUIT. AND WHO BECAUSE OF YOUR
HOSPITALITY, IS FEELING ANYTHING BUT "LONESOME."
- 3 -
IN RETURN, I'D LIKE TO SHARE A FEW WORDS OF
APPRECIATION. THEY'RE FROM HENRY DAVID THOREAU, WHO
SAID, "EASTWARD I GO ONLY BY FORCE; BUT WESTWARD I GO
FREE." THOSE WORDS HIT HOME ON A DAY LIKE THIS. FOR
IT'S FREEDOM THAT MOVES THE MIND AND SPIRIT AS YOU
TRAVEL WEST FROM WASHINGTON.
You SEE THE MISSISSIPPI, MIGHTY AND MEANDERING.
AND THE GREAT PLAINS, FROM AIR FORCE ONE A GIANT,
SPRAWLING CHECKERBOARD.
- 4 -
AND THEN THE ROCKIES, A SAMPLING OF SOME OF GOD'S BEST
HANDIWORK. AND YOU'RE FREE TO ENJOY THE BIG SKY -- AND
DREAM DREAMS AS BIG AS ALL AMERICA.
BUT AS WE DREAM, WE MUST ALSO ACT. AcT AS WISE
STEWARDS OF THIS GENERATION -- FOR ALL THE GENERATIONS
TO COME.
A FEW MOMENTS AGO I SPOKE TO THE MONTANA CENTENNIAL
CELEBRATION. WHERE I TALKED OF ONE KIND OF STEWARDSHIP
-- THE SAFEGUARDING OF OUR NATIONAL RESOURCES.
- 5 -
THE GREAT OUTDOORS IS PRECIOUS, BUT FRAGILE. To
PRESERVE IT, WE MUST PROTECT IT.
Now, IN SAYING THIS, I'LL CONFESS: I FEEL LIKE A
STUDENT ADVISING HIS TEACHER. FOR I NEEDN'T TELL YOU
ABOUT HUNTING, HIKING, AND RAFTING. AND LIKE ME, YOU
NEVER MET A FISH YOU DIDN'T LIKE [PAUSE]
OF
COURSE, AFTER MY RECENT VACATION IN MAINE, THERE ARE
SOME WHO SAY I NEVER MET A FISH, PERIOD. [PAUSE]
- 6 -
STEWARDSHIP CAN MEAN PRESERVING THE PURITY OF OUR
LIVING ENVIRONMENT. FOR AMERICA CAN ONLY BE AS
BEAUTIFUL AS HER PEOPLE ARE VIGILANT. BUT STEWARDSHIP
CAN ALSO MEAN PRESERVING OUR TEACHING AND LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT. FOR AMERICA CAN ONLY BE AS GREAT AS HER
CHILDREN ARE EDUCATED.
IT'S THIS KIND OF STEWARDSHIP I'D LIKE TO BRIEFLY
TALK ABOUT AND IT'S THE REASON EACH OF YOU IS HERE
TODAY IN HELENA -- MANY OF YOU FROM CENTENNIAL STATES.
- 7 -
SHARING IDEAS AND RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP SHAPE THE NEXT
HUNDRED YEARS OF AMERICAN EDUCATION.
WE HEAR A LOT TODAY ABOUT EDUCATION'S PROBLEMS.
AND WE SHOULD. FOR THE PROBLEMS ARE REAL. A TOO-HIGH
DROP-OUT RATE. Too LITTLE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.
ERRATIC STANDARDS. Too LITTLE ACCOUNTABILITY -- BY
TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS. SCHOOLS THAT ARE UNSAFE AND
WRACKED BY DRUG USE AND TRAFFICKING. KIDS ILL-EQUIPPED
TO READ, WRITE, OR UNDERSTAND NEW TECHNOLOGIES.
- 8 -
THESE PROBLEMS MUST HAVE SOLUTIONS. THIS
CONFERENCE HOPES TO FIND THEM. BECAUSE WHEN IT COMES
TO EDUCATION, WASHINGTON DOESN'T KNOW BEST. THE PEOPLE
DO. NOWHERE IS THAT TRUER THAN HERE IN THE AMERICAN
WEST WHERE LOCAL VALUES AND SCHOOL AUTONOMY ARE AS
REVERED AS LOVE OF FREEDOM AND OF COUNTRY. AND PERHAPS
NOWHERE IS IT MORE EMBODIED THAN IN THE PAINTING JUST
BEHIND ME.
- 9 -
IT HAS BEEN CALLED CHARLES M. RUSSELL'S GREATEST
WORK, ENTITLED "LEWIS AND CLARK MEETING THE FLATHEAD
INDIANS AT Ross' HOLE." AND IT SAYS A LOT: ABOUT THE
WEST AND, STRANGELY ENOUGH, ABOUT WESTERN EDUCATION.
To THE RIGHT STAND LEWIS AND CLARK. ASKING QUESTIONS
ABOUT A STRANGE WORLD. WILLING AND NEEDING To LEARN.
AND IN THE CENTER ARE THE INDIANS. READY TO SHARE
KNOWLEDGE, AND LEAD LEWIS AND CLARK ALONG UNKNOWN
TERRAIN.
- 10 -
FOR DECADES AFTER, THIS SPIRIT OF FREEDOM AND
DISCOVERY SPURRED THE WEST. YES, LIFE WAS HARD. THERE
WERE HOMES To BE BUILT. AND SCHOOLS TO BE CONSTRUCTED,
so THAT KIDS COULD LEARN. How DID THESE PIONEERS DO
IT? THE WAY THE WEST HAS ALWAYS DONE IT. THEY WERE
SELFLESS. INDEPENDENT. THEY WERE RESOLUTE. UNAFRAID.
LET ME TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO REMEMBER HOW IT WAS.
NOT AS A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE. BUT AS A PROFILE IN
THE STEWARDSHIP OF EDUCATION.
- 11 -
A PROFILE OF COURAGE AND SELF-DISCIPLINE -- LESSONS AS
TIMELY TO 1989 AS TO THE PIONEERS OF 1889.
REMEMBER, FIRST, THE SCHOOLS THEMSELVES. NAMES
LIKE DRY RUN, SITTING UP, CROCUS HILL. AND THEIR
CONDITION. SMALL, OFTEN WITH ONLY ONE ROOM. DIRT
FLOORS. AND LOG WALLS.
AND REMEMBER THE COMMUNITIES THAT BUILT THEM. WHAT
A TASK IT WAS. OFTEN, SUPPLIES WERE LIMITED -- BUT
THERE WERE ALWAYS ENOUGH HANDS.
- 12 -
FOR COMMUNITIES PITCHED IN -- LUMBERJACK, CARPENTER,
MASON. WHATEVER IT TooK, THOSE KIDS WOULD HAVE THEIR
SCHOOL.
REMEMBER, Too, THE STUDENTS -- JUST GETTING TO
SCHOOL COULD BE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. IN CHINOOK,
MONTANA, ALMOST A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, 10-YEAR-OLD
LILLIAN MILLER NEEDED STURDY SHOES; HER LITTLE LOG
SCHOOL WAS SEVEN MILES FROM HOME. AND ONCE AT SCHOOL,
HERE'S WHAT SHE AND OTHERS FOUND.
- 13 -
MAKESHIFT FURNITURE: STUDENTS SAT ON BOXES, OR
BENCHES. Books? THEY WERE MORE ELUSIVE THAN
PROSPECTORS' GOLD. FOUR OR FIVE KIDS STUDYING FROM A
SINGLE VOLUME.
JUST THINK OF IT. THINK OF HOW THOSE STUDENTS MUST
HAVE LOVED TO LEARN -- FOR LOOK WHAT THEY ENDURED. AND
WHEN IT CAME TO LOVE, OR ENDURANCE, NO ONE ECLIPSED
THEIR TEACHERS. THEY WERE THE FIRST STEWARDS OF
AMERICAN EDUCATION.
- 14 -
To BEGIN WITH, THINK OF THEIR PROBLEMS. LEAKING
ROOFS. ROOMS FULL OF KIDS OF ALL AGES. AND SKUNKS
BENEATH THE SCHOOLHOUSE -- IMAGINE WHAT THAT DID FOR
STUDENT DISCIPLINE. THINK, THEN, OF THEIR PAY -- THAT
WAS REALLY A PROBLEM: LESS THAN $30 A MONTH. AND
PRIVACY? WHAT PRIVACY? TEACHERS WERE OFTEN BOARDED IN
SMALL HOMES WITH LARGE FAMILIES. AND THEY OFTEN
DOUBLED AS COMMUNITY LEADER.
- 15 -
THEN, THERE WERE THE PARENTS. THEY HAD TO RUN A
FARM, RAISE A FAMILY, AND FIGHT OFF EVERYTHING FROM
CLAIM-JUMPERS TO BEARS. WHAT'S MORE, THEY HOUSED KIDS
FROM DISTANT FAMILIES -- CARING FOR THEM LIKE THEIR OWN
-- so THAT EVERY CHILD MIGHT HAVE THE CHANCE TO LEARN.
FOR THEY REALIZED THE FUTURE LAY IN THEIR CHILDREN,
THROUGH EDUCATION.
- 16 -
THESE PIONEERS KNEW, AS WE DO, THAT EDUCATION CAN
CARVE A BETTER LIFE. AND THEY KNEW THAT TRUE
LEARNING -- BASICS LIKE READING, WRITING, AND
ARITHMETIC -- DON'T STEM FROM TRENDY CURRICULA. RATHER,
TRUE LEARNING STEMS FROM VALUES THAT ARE ALWAYS IN
STYLE. VALUES LIKE "Do UNTO OTHERS." VALUES THAT TELL
KIDS WHY DRUGS ARE PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER 1 -- AND DETAIL
A PROGRAM, AS OUR ADMINISTRATION HAS, TO DEFEAT THAT
ENEMY.
- 17 -
IN THAT CONTEXT, LET ME SAY: THIS NATIONAL
STRATEGY NEEDS YOUR HELP. WE NEED THE STATES TO
TOUGHEN THEIR LAWS: MANDATORY TIME FOR WEAPONS
OFFENDERS. No PLEA-BARGAINING ON GUNS. THE DEATH
PENALTY FOR HEINOUS DRUG CRIMES. AND MORE POLICE,
PROSECUTORS, AND PRISONS so THAT VICIOUS THUGS WILL BE
PURSUED, PROSECUTED, AND PUT AWAY FOR GOOD.
- 18 -
THESE STEPS WILL HELP MAKE TRUE LEARNING POSSIBLE --
AND ALLOW TEACHERS TO TEACH VALUES LIKE SELF-RESPECT,
GOOD CITIZENSHIP AND PATRIOTISM. VALUES AS CENTRAL TO
THE AMERICAN WEST AS THE BRAVERY THAT TAMED ITS
FRONTIER.
- 19 -
No GOVERNMENT PLANNER TOLD THESE PIONEERS HOW TO
STRUCTURE COURSES. OR HOW LONG THE SCHOOL YEAR SHOULD
BE. THEY DECIDED, RIGHT HERE. THEY DIDN'T NEED
WASHINGTON TO KNOW THAT THOSE CLOSEST TO THE COMMUNITY
BEST UNDERSTAND ITS PRIORITIES. NOR DO YOU TODAY. I'M
TALKING ABOUT LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS, TEACHERS, AND
PARENTS WORKING WITH EACH OTHER IN A PARTNERSHIP WITH
ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT.
- 20 -
As A PARTNER, I PLEDGE TO YOU: OUR ADMINISTRATION
WILL LISTEN. I MEANT IT WHEN I SAID EARLIER,
"WASHINGTON DOESN'T KNOW BEST -- THE PEOPLE DO." " FOR I
REJECT -- IMPLICITLY -- THE NOTION OF FEDERAL
MANDATES -- FEDERAL BULLYING -- IN EDUCATION. INSTEAD,
WHAT WE NEED -- WHAT I'M ASKING FOR -- ARE LOCAL IDEAS,
LOCAL CREATIVITY, AND MORE LOCAL AUTONOMY.
- 21 -
THE PLAIN TRUTH IS THAT OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IS
NOT MAKING THE GRADE. IN A RECENT COMPARISON OF 13-
YEAR-OLD STUDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES AND 5 OTHER
NATIONS, AMERICA PLACED LAST IN MATHEMATICS AND NEAR
LAST IN SCIENCE. SPENDING MORE MONEY ON EDUCATION THAN
MOST OTHER COUNTRIES, WE'RE GETTING LESS RETURN ON THE
INVESTMENT. IT IS TIME FOR CHANGE -- PERHAPS RADICAL
CHANGE -- TO FIND NEW WAYS TO IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL
PERFORMANCE.
- 22 -
THAT IS WHY OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, I HAVE
MET WITH GROUPS FROM THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF
TEACHERS TO THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARDS,
AND FROM MAYORS TO ELECTED OFFICIALS TO MANY STATE
LEGISLATORS. AND IT'S WHY WE'RE MEETING TODAY.
FOR I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT STATE LEGISLATORS ARE.
You APPROPRIATE THE MONEY. You MAKE PROGRAMS POSSIBLE.
AND YOU ARE OFTEN EXPERTS ON EDUCATION. YET YOU CAN'T
DO IT ALONE. ANY MORE THAN WASHINGTON.
- 23 -
ONLY THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS -- GOVERNMENT SERVING AS A
CATALYST -- CAN WE MAKE AMERICAN EDUCATION NUMBER ONE.
ACCORDINGLY, IN APRIL I SENT TO THE CONGRESS THE
"EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE Act OF 1989. " OUR PROGRAM HAS
FOUR OBJECTIVES. FIRST, TO REWARD EXCELLENCE. SECOND,
To SEE THAT FEDERAL DOLLARS HELP THOSE MOST IN NEED.
THIRD, OUR PROGRAM DEMANDS EDUCATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY.
AND FOURTH, IT SUPPORTS GREATER FLEXIBILITY AND CHOICE.
- 24 -
WE WANT TO CREATE A $500 MILLION PROGRAM TO REWARD
SCHOOLS THAT IMPROVE THE MOST. AND A NEW MAGNET
SCHOOLS OF EXCELLENCE PROGRAM -- HELPING PARENTS CHOOSE
WHICH PUBLIC SCHOOLS THEIR CHILDREN WILL ATTEND. THEN,
THERE'S "ALTERNATIVE CERTFICATION" ALLOWING TALENTED
AMERICANS TO TEACH IN THE CLASSROOM. AND SPECIAL
PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS FOR THE BEST TEACHERS.
- 25 -
AND THROUGH A NEW INITIATIVE OF NATIONAL SCIENCE
SCHOLARS, WE WANT TO INCREASE INCENTIVE To EXCEL IN
SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, AND ENGINEERING.
THE 1989 EDUCATION ACT SEEKS TO INVEST IN THE KIDS,
AND THEIR KIDS, WHO WILL TRULY SHAPE "THE NEXT ONE
HUNDRED YEARS."
- 26 -
THIS CONFERENCE CAN ADVANCE THAT GOAL. As CAN THE
IDEAS OF CITIZENS FROM MAINE TO CALIFORNIA. AND so CAN
AN UNPRECEDENTED EVENT WHICH OCCURS NEXT WEEK -- THE
NATION'S FIRST PRESIDENTIAL EDUCATION SUMMIT. WE WILL
GATHER TO TALK. THINK. EXCHANGE IDEAS.
IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO BOOST TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND
RETENTION. AND INCREASE THE CHOICES FOR PARENTS AND
STUDENTS. IDEAS ON HOW BEST TO COORDINATE THE ROLE OF
FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.
- 27 -
AND INSTILL A DRUG-FREE AND CRIME-FREE ENVIRONMENT IN
OUR SCHOOLS. IN SHORT, IDEAS ON HOW TO SPUR
EDUCATIONAL REFORM. AND RETURN POWER TO THE PEOPLE.
OUR SUMMIT WILL BE AS WIDE-RANGING AS THE WEST.
So LET YOUR GOVERNORS KNOW PRECISELY WHAT YOU THINK.
IF YOU DO, SUMMIT PARTICIPANTS WILL REAFFIRM THE
CENTRAL LESSON OF THE CENTENNIAL PIONEERS -- THAT ONLY
TOGETHER CAN WE TRULY EDUCATE AMERICA'S CHILDREN.
- 28 -
FOR EDUCATION IS OUR MOST ENDURING LEGACY, VITAL TO
EVERYTHING WE ARE AND CAN BECOME.
WHAT A LEGACY THEY HAVE GIVEN US -- THESE PIONEERS
OF A CENTURY AGO. AND WHAT A RESPONSIBILITY WE HAVE.
LET US MEET IT. So THAT A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW,
FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL SAY OF US: THEY TAUGHT THEIR
CHILDREN WELL.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF SHARING THIS
OCCASION, GOD BLESS YOU, AND GOD BLESS AMERICA.
Mont Leg. Steph -
k I mode ) slight changes
parents working
on Legislators Lp. 6)cards 14 15)
of government.
I have put them in both on the
As a partne CPr is d regular I can't get
the two cards to print. Please
listen. I meant show Chriss the changes I've
best -- the peop mode
Thanks
Blessel
of Federal manda
Instead, what we need -- what I'm asking for -- are local ideas,
local creativity, and more local autonomy.
The plain truth is that our educational system is not making
the grade. In a recent comparison of 13-year-old students in the
United States and 11 other Nations, America placed last in
Mathematics and near last in Science. Spending more money on
education than most other countries, we're getting less return on
the investment. It is time for change -- perhaps radical change
-- to find new ways to improve educational performance.
That is why over the past several months, I have met with
groups from the American Federation of Teachers to the National
Association of School Boards, and from mayors to elected
officials to many State legislators. And it's why we're meeting
today.
For I know how important State legislators are. You
appropriate the money. You make programs possible. And you are
often experts on education. Yet you can't do it alone. Any more
than Washington. Only through partnerships -- government serving
moke
as a catalyst -- can we keep American education Number One.
came
No.
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5.
box
can 3 "Keep
Mont Leg.
w/ changes 6
parents working with each other in a partnership with all levels
of government.
As a partner, I pledge to you: Our Administration will
listen. I meant it when I said earlier, "Washington doesn't know
best -- the people do.' " For I reject -- implicitly -- the notion
of Federal mandates -- Federal bullying -- in education.
Instead, what we need -- what I'm asking for -- are local ideas,
local creativity, and more local autonomy.
The plain truth is that our educational system is not making
the grade. In a recent comparison of 13-year-old students in the
United States and 5 other Nations, America placed last in
Mathematics and near last in Science. Spending more money on
education than most other countries, we're getting less return on
the investment. It is time for change -- perhaps radical change
-- to find new ways to improve educational performance.
That is why over the past several months, I have met with
groups from the American Federation of Teachers to the National
Association of School Boards, and from mayors to elected
officials to many State legislators. And it's why we're meeting
today.
For I know how important State legislators are. You
appropriate the money. You make programs possible. And you are
often experts on education. Yet you can't do it alone. Any more
than Washington. Only through partnerships -- government serving
as a catalyst -- can we make American education Number One.
072817SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
9/14/89
9/15/89 NOON
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
STATE LEGISLATURES, HELENA, MONTANA
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
PINKERTON
CICCONI
ANDERSON
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston,
Rm. 122, x2930, no later than NOON, Friday, September 15,
with a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
61 & v
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Blessey)
Draft Four
09 SEP 14 P7: 09
September 14, 1989
MONTANA
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: STATE LEGISLATURES
HELENA, MONTANA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1989
Governor Stevens, Representative Peck, Speaker Vincent,
Senate President Galt, Ladies and Gentlemen. Good afternoon, and
thank you for that kind introduction. And let me say what a
pleasure it is to address this Five-State Conference.
You know, being here in Helena reminds me of a TV series a
few months back. Maybe you saw it. "Lonesome Dove." About a
cattle drive which started down in Texas and wound up in Montana.
Well, this is one Texan who's followed suit. And who because of
your hospitality, is feeling anything but "lonesome."
In return, I'd like to share a few words of appreciation.
They're from Henry David Thoreau, who said, "Eastward I go only
by force. Westward I go free." Those words hit home on a day
like this. For it's freedom that moves the mind and spirit as
you travel West from Washington.
You see the Mississippi, mighty and meandering. And the
Great Plains, from Air Force One a giant, sprawling checkerboard.
And then the Rockies, a sampling of God's handiwork. And you're
free to enjoy the Big Sky -- and dream dreams as big as all
America.
But as we dream, we must also act. Act as wise stewards of
this generation -- for all the generations to come.
2
A few moments ago I spoke to the Montana Centennial
Celebration. Where I talked of one kind of stewardship -- the
safeguarding of our national resources. The great outdoors is
precious, but fragile. To preserve it, we must protect it.
Now, in saying this, I'll confess: I feel like a student
advising his teacher. For I don't have to tell you about
hunting, hiking, and rafting. And like me, you never met a fish
you didn't like [PAUSE]
Of course, after my recent vacation
up in Maine, there are some who say I never met a fish, period.
[PAUSE]
Stewardship can mean preserving the purity of our living
environment. For America can only be as beautiful as her people
are vigilant. But stewardship can also mean preserving our
teaching and learning environment. For America can only be as
great as her children are educated.
It's this kind of stewardship I'd like to briefly talk about
and it's the reason each of you is here today in Helena -- many
of you from Centennial States. Sharing ideas and responsibility
to help shape the next one hundred years of American education.
We hear a lot today about education's problems. And we
should. For the problems are real. A rising drop-out rate. Too
little parental involvement. Erratic standards. Too little
accountability -- by teachers, and students. Schools that are
unsafe and wracked by drug use and trafficking. Kids ill-
equipped to read, write, or understand new technologies.
3
These problems must have solutions. This Conference hopes
to find them. Because when it comes to education, Washington
Doesn't Know Best. The people do. Nowhere is that truer than
here in the American West where local values and school autonomy
are as revered as love of freedom and of country. The America of
Brigham Young, Mike Mansfield, and Charles M. Russell. And
perhaps nowhere is it more embodied than in the painting just
behind me.
It has been called Russell's greatest work, entitled "Lewis
and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians at Ross' Hole." Russell
painted it in 1911. But it preserves a moment from 1805. And it
says a lot: About the West and, strangely enough, about Western
education. To the right stand Lewis and Clark. Asking questions
about a strange world. Willing and needing to learn. And in the
center are the Indians. Ready to share knowledge, and lead Lewis
and Clark along unknown terrain.
For decades, this spirit has spurred the West -- the spirit
of freedom and discovery. And made possible today's Centennial
observations. For as life was arduous in 1805, so it was in the
1880s and '90s. There were homes to be built, and villages to be
created. And schools to be constructed, so that kids could
learn. How did they do it -- these Centennial pioneers? The
way the West has always done it. They were selfless.
Independent. They were resolute. Unafraid.
Let me take a few moments to remember how it was. Not as
a trip down memory lane. But as a profile in the stewardship of
4
education. A profile of courage, self-discipline, and above all,
sacrifice -- lessons as timely to 1989 as to the pioneers of
1889.
Remember, first, the schools themselves. Names like Dry
Run, Sitting Up, Crocus Hill. And their condition. Small, often
with only one room. Dirt floors. And log walls.
Remember, next, the communities that built the schools. And
what a task it was. Often, lumber was limited -- and had to be
carried for miles. Often, funds were scarce -- but there were
always enough hands. For communities pitched in -- lumberjack,
village smithy, carpenter, mason -- giving of their time, and of
their talents. In one place, a school opened in an abandoned
stable; the kids sat on the manger. In another, the school
opened above a saloon. No endeavor was too great -- no sacrifice
too large. Whatever it took -- however it took -- those kids
would have their school.
Remember, then, the students -- just getting to school could
be mission impossible. In , -year-old had to walk three
-
miles each way; her only companions were the blizzards and the
wolves. And in South Dakota, two boys had an even longer round-
trip -- 24 miles. And once at school, here's what they found.
Makeshift furniture: Students sat on boxes, or benches. Often,
no paper. Or blackboards. At best -- Shell Creek, Wyoming -- a
blackboard made of two rubber boots, split open and tacked on the
wall. Books? They were more elusive than prospectors' gold.
Four or five kids studying from a single volume. And fun? It
5
was even more remote. Kids were told to keep their feet still.
That way, they wouldn't raise the dust [PAUSE]
when you get
home, try telling that to your kids.
Just think of it. Think of how those students must have
loved to learn -- for look what they endured. And when it came
to love, or endurance, no one eclipsed their teachers. They were
the first stewards of American education.
I'm sure you've heard the old expression, "Problems are
really opportunities in disguise." Well, teachers a century ago
must have seen more opportunities running around than they really
deserved. Leaking roofs. Rooms full of kids of all ages and
abilities. And skunks beneath the schoolhouse -- imagine what
that did for student discipline. Teachers were poorly paid --
less than $30 a month. And often lacked a desk: One teacher
took an organ, removed the keys, and built drawers under the top.
Privacy? What privacy? Teachers were often boarded in small
homes with large families. And they doubled as community leader
-- since the school might serve as town church, social hall,
dance parlor, and balloting place.
Then, there were the parents. And talk about double
jeopardy. They had to run a farm, raise a family, and fight off
everything from claim-jumpers to bears. And if that wasn't
enough, they housed kids from distant families -- caring for them
and their own -- without pay. So that every child might have the
chance to learn. Tough to do -- but they did it. For they were
6
also stewards. And they realized where the future lay: In their
children, through education.
These Centennial pioneers knew, as we do, that education can
carve a better life -- for the son, hoping to be a cattle man, or
that daughter, who wanted to teach the next generation. What's
more, they knew that true learning -- basics like reading,
writing, and arithmetic -- doesn't stem from trendy curricula.
Rather, true learning stems from values that are always in style.
Values like voluntary prayer and "Do unto others. Values that
tell kids why drugs are Public Enemy Number 1 -- and detail a
program, as we have, to defeat that enemy. Values like
courtesy, self-respect, and discipline, good citizenship and
patriotism. Values as central to the American West as the
bravery that tamed its wild frontier.
No government planner told these pioneers how to structure
courses. They did it on their own. Or how long the school year
should be. Or whether in Nebraska -- for instance -- the
Territorial librarian could serve as superintendent of education.
They decided, right here. They didn't need Washington to know
that those closest to the community best understand its
priorities. Nor do you today. I'm talking about local school
boards, teachers, and parents working with each other and all
levels of government.
In a real sense, that's why you're here. For you know --
like the Centennial pioneers -- how education can inspire. As
legislators and members of the Commission, you want to increase
1
7
academic standards and accountability. And spur local flexbility
and choice. For you know that excellence breeds achievement, and
achievement should be rewarded. And so from adult learning to K
through 12 funding to rural development, you're taking that
grass-roots message to the community. As your forefathers did a
century ago. And as America must do today.
This Conference says: "We in the West will do our part.'
Well, our Administration will do its part. We, too, must be
stewards. We, too, know education can be a ladder. That is why
in April, I sent to the Congress the "Educational Excellence Act
of 1989. " It seeks to reward improving schools, increase
parental choice, and enhance academic standards. And to invest
in the kids, and their kids, who will truly shape "the next one
hundred years. "
The 1989 Education Act can advance that goal. As can this
Conference. And so can an event which occurs next week -- the
first Educational Summit Conference in our history.
I have asked all 50 Governors and each Cabinet official to
meet with me. To talk. Think. Exchange ideas. Ideas about how
to spur educational reform. And return power to the people.
A prediction: Our Summit will be as wide-ranging as the
West. And a belief: Summit participants will reaffirm the
central lesson of the Centennial pioneers -- only together can we
truly educate America's children. For education is our most
enduring legacy
vital to everything we are and can become.
8
What a legacy they have given us -- these pioneers of a
century ago. And what a responsibility we have. Let us meet it.
So that a hundred years from now, future generations will say of
us: They taught their children well.
Thank you for the privilege of sharing this occasion, God
bless you, and God bless America.
# # # #
us, Burns Marlenee Mar lenee ler s el &
(ay)
(Smith/Blessey)
Corren
Draft Three
September 13, 1989
MONTANA
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: STATE LEGISLATURES
HELENA, MONTANA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1989
Governor Stevens, Representative Peck, Speaker Vincent,
Senate President Galt, Ladies and Gentlemen. Good afternoon, and
thank you for that kind introduction. And let me say what a
pleasure it is to address this Five-State Conference.
You know, being here in Helena reminds me of a TV series a
few months back. Maybe you saw it. "Lonesome Dove." About a
cattle drive which started down in Texas and wound up in Montana.
Well, this is one Texan who's followed suit. And who because of
your hospitality, is feeling anything but "lonesome."
In return, I'd like to share a few words of appreciation.
They're from Henry David Thoreau, who said, "Eastward I go only
by force. Westward I go free." Those words hit home on a day
like this. For it's freedom that moves the mind and spirit as
you travel West from Washington.
You see the Mississippi, mighty and meandering. And the
Great Plains, from Air Force One a giant, sprawling checkerboard.
And then the Rockies, a sampling of God's handiwork. And you're
free to enjoy the Big Sky -- and dream dreams as big as all
America.
But as we dream, we must also act. Act as wise stewards of
this generation -- for all the generations to come.
2
A few moments ago I spoke to the Montana Centennial
Celebration. Where I talked of one kind of stewardship -- the
safeguarding of our national resources. The great outdoors is
precious, but fragile. To preserve it, we must protect it.
Now, in saying this, I'll confess: I feel like a student
advising his teacher. For I don't have to tell you about
hunting, hiking, and rafting. And like me, you never met a fish
you didn't like [PAUSE]
Of course, after my recent vacation
up in Maine, there are some who say I never met a fish, period. [Pause]
Stewardship can mean preserving the purity of our living
environment. For America can only be as beautiful as her people
are vigilant. But stewardship can also mean preserving our
teaching and learning environment. For America can only be as
great as her children are educated.
It's this kind of stewardship I'd like to briefly talk
and its
about The reason each of you is here today in Helena -- many of
sharing ideas
you from Centennial States. Linking creativity and sharing
?
responsibility to help shape the next one hundred years of
American education.
We hear a lot today about education's problems. And we
should. For the problems are real. A rising drop-out rate. Too
little parental involvement. Erratic standards. Too little
accountability -- by teachers, and students. Schools that are
unsafe and wracked by drug use and trafficking. Kids ill-
equipped to read, write, or understand new technologies.
3
must have
These problems deserve solutions. This Conference hopes to
find them. Because when it comes to education, Washington
Doesn't Know Best. The people do. Nowhere is that truer than
here in the American West where local values and school autonomy
are as revered as love of freedom and of country. The America of
Brigham Young, Mike Mansfield, and Charles M. Russell. And
perhaps nowhere is it more embodied than in the painting just
behind me.
entitled
It has been called Russell's greatest work And it's called
"Lewis and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians at Ross' Hole."
Russell painted it in 1911. But it preserves a moment from 1805.
And it says a lot: About the West and, strangely enough, about
Western education. To the right stand Lewis and Clark. Asking
questions about a strange world. Willing and needing to learn.
And in the center are the Indians. Ready to share knowledge, and
lead Lewis and Clark along unknown terrain.
For decades, this spirit has spurred the West ---- the spirit
of freedom and discovery. And made possible today's Centennial
observations. For as life was arduous in 1805, so it was in the
1880s and '90s. There were homes to be built, and villages to be
created. And schools to be constructed, so that kids could
learn. How did they do it -- these Centennial pioneers? The
way the West has always done it. They were selfless.
Independent. They were resolute. Unafraid.
Let me take a few moments to remember how it was. Not as
a trip down memory lane. But as a profile in the stewardship of
4
education. A profile of courage, self-discipline, and above all,
sacrifice -- lessons as timely to 1989 as to the pioneers of
1889.
Remember, first, the schools themselves. Names like Dry
Run, Sitting Up, Crocus Hill. And their condition. Small, often
with only one-room. Dirt floors. And log walls.
Remember, next, the communities that built the schools. And
what a task it was. Often, lumber was limited --- and had to be
carried for miles. Often, funds were scarce -- but there were
always enough hands. For communities pitched in -- lumberjack,
village smithy, carpenter, mason -- giving of their time, and of
their talents. In one place, a school opened in an abandoned
stable; the kids sat on the manger. In another, the school
opened above a saloon. No endeavor was too great ---- no sacrifice
too large. Whatever it took -- however it took -- those kids
would have their school.
New
Chinoon
1
feb
cillian
Miller
Remember, then, the students just getting to school could
be mission impossible In , -year-old had to walk three
miles each way; her only companions were the blizzards and the
wolves. And in South Dakota, two boys had an even longer round-
trip -- 24 miles. And once at school, here's what they found.
Makeshift furniture: Students sat on boxes, or benches. Often,
no paper. Or blackboards. At best -- Shell Creek, Wyoming -- a
blackboard made of two rubber boots, split open and tacked on the
wall. Books? They were more elusive than prospectors' gold.
Four or five kids studying from a single volume. And fun? It
realth
Isands
sills lee.
5
was even more remote. Kids were told to keep their feet still.
That way, they wouldn't raise the dust [PAUSE]
when you get
home, try telling that to your kids.
Just think of it. Think of how those students must have
loved to learn -- for look what they endured. And when it came
to love, or endurance, no one eclipsed their teachers. They
were the first stewards of American education.
I'm sure you've heard the old expression, "Problems are
really opportunities in disguise." Well, teachers a century ago
must have seen more opportunities running around than they really
deserved. Leaking roofs. Rooms full of kids of all ages and
abilities. And skunks beneath the schoolhouse -- imagine what
that did for student discipline. Teachers were poorly paid --
less than $30 a month. And often lacked a desk: One teacher
took an organ, removed the keys, and built drawers under the top.
Privacy? What privacy? Teachers were often boarded in small
homes with large families. And they doubled as community leader
-- since the school might serve as town church, social hall,
dance parlor, and balloting place.
Then, there were the parents. And talk about double
jeopardy. They had to run a farm, raise a family, and fight off
everything from claim-jumpers to bears. And if that wasn't
caring for them
enough, they housed kids from distant families teaching those
50 that evens child might have the chance
to learn
kids, and their own -- in the home, without pay. Tough to do --
but they did it. For they were also stewards. And they realized
Children
where the future lay: In their kids, through education.
7,48 sun add 35 2, in a 3
in 6 them coludes is h you as No! N in P-40 Vesues 1ˢᵗ 5 we Spin l as New Bunth
These Centennial pioneers knew, as we do, that education can
in 50m I
carve a better life -- for the son, hoping to be a cattle man, or
that daughter, who wanted to teach the next generation. What's
sell duis
basics
more, they knew that true learning -- things like reading,
doesn't
from
writing, and arithmetic -- stems not from trendy curricula, or.
kooky courses. Rather, true learning stems from values that are
always in style. Values like voluntary prayer and "Do unto
others. Values that tell kids why drugs are Public Enemy Number
1 -- and detail a program, as we have, to defeat that enemy.
and discipline
Values like courtesy, self-respect, good citizenship, and
patriotism. Values as central to the American West as the
bravery that tamed its wild frontier.
No government planner told these pioneers how to structure
courses. They did it on their own. Or how long the school year
should be. Or whether in Nebraska -- for instance -- the
Territorial librarian could serve as superintendent of education.
They decided, right here. They didn't need Washington to know
that those closest to the community best understand its
local
priorities. Nor do you today. I'm talking about district school
boards, teachers, and parents working with each other and all
levels of government.
In a real sense, that's why you're here. For you know --
like the Centennial pioneers -- how education can inspire. As
legislators and members of the Commission, you want to increase
academic standards and accountability. And spur local flexbility
and choice. For you know that excellence breeds achievement, and
7
achievement should be rewarded. And so from adult learning to K
through 12 funding to rural development, you're taking that
grass-roots message to the community. As your forefathers did a
century ago. And as America must do today.
This Conference says: "We in the West will do our part."
Well, our Administration will do its part. We, too, must be
stewards. We, too, know education can be a ladder. That is why
in April, I sent to the Congress the "Educational Excellence Act
of 1989. " It seeks to reward improving schools, increase
parental choice, and enhance academic standards. And to invest
in the kids, and their kids, who will truly shape "the next one
hundred years. "
The 1989 Education Act can advance that goal. As can this
Conference. And so can an event which occurs next week -- the
first Educational Summit Conference in our history.
I have asked all Cabinet officials and 50 Governors to meet
with me. To talk. Think. Exchange ideas. Ideas about how to
spur educational reform. And return power to the people. A
prediction: Our Summit will be as wide-ranging as the West. And
a belief: Summit participants will reaffirm the central lesson
of the Centennial pioneers: Only together parents, teachers
students, and local administrators
can we truly educate
America's children)
I began my remarks by talking about stewardship of the
environment and of education. Let me close by talking about one
of the great stewards of any era, Theodore Roosevelt.
8
You know all the stories about T.R. the conservation
President. How he loved the West -- America's cathedral of the
outdoors. But you may not know that Teddy was also a great
education President. He believed in challenge and self-
discipline. And in the three R's. For he knew, as we do that
for
education is our most enduring legacy
vital to everything
we are and can become.
The stewardship of education. Now, and then. Generations
ago, its stewards were men and women like T.R. and other frontier
heroes. And our parents and grandparents. Today, the stewards
of education must be the parents and grandparents of this
generation of kids
What a legacy they have given us - - these Centennial
of a century ago.
pioneers. And what a responsibility we have. se, let us meet
So
a hundred
it. And so conduct ourselves that 100 years from, now, future
they tought then children wed
generations will say of us: They, too, were Centennial pioneers.
Thank you for the privilege of sharing this occasion, God
bless you, and God bless America.
#
#
#
#
(Smith/Blessey)
Draft Four
September 14, 1989
MONTANA
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: STATE LEGISLATURES
HELENA, MONTANA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1989
Governor Stephens, Senator Burns, Congressman Marlenee,
Representative Peck, Speaker Vincent, Senate President Galt,
Ladies and Gentlemen. Good afternoon, and thank you for that
kind introduction. And let me say what a pleasure it is to
address this Five-State Conference.
You know, being here in Helena reminds me of a TV series a
few months back. Maybe you saw it. "Lonesome Dove." About a
cattle drive which started down in Texas and wound up in Montana.
Well, this is one Texan who's followed suit. And who because of
your hospitality, is feeling anything but "lonesome."
In return, I'd like to share a few words of appreciation.
They're from Henry David Thoreau, who said, "Eastward I go only
by force. Westward I go free." Those words hit home on a day
like this. For it's freedom that moves the mind and spirit as
you travel West from Washington.
You see the Mississippi, mighty and meandering. And the
Great Plains, from Air Force One a giant, sprawling checkerboard.
And then the Rockies, a sampling of God's handiwork. And you're
free to enjoy the Big Sky -- and dream dreams as big as all
America.
2
But as we dream, we must also act. Act as wise stewards of
this generation -- for all the generations to come.
A few moments ago I spoke to the Montana Centennial
Celebration. Where I talked of one kind of stewardship -- the
safeguarding of our national resources. The great outdoors is
precious, but fragile. To preserve it, we must protect it.
Now, in saying this, I'll confess: I feel like a student
advising his teacher. For I don't have to tell you about
hunting, hiking, and rafting. And like me, you never met a fish
you didn't like [PAUSE]
Of course, after my recent vacation
up in Maine, there are some who say I never met a fish, period.
[PAUSE]
Stewardship can mean preserving the purity of our living
environment. For America can only be as beautiful as her people
are vigilant. But stewardship can also mean preserving our
teaching and learning environment. For America can only be as
great as her children are educated.
It's this kind of stewardship I'd like to briefly talk about
and it's the reason each of you is here today in Helena -- many
of you from Centennial States. Sharing ideas and responsibility
to help shape the next one hundred years of American education.
We hear a lot today about education's problems. And we
should. For the problems are real. A too-high drop-out rate.
Too little parental involvement. Erratic standards. Too little
accountability -- by teachers, and students. Schools that are
3
unsafe and wracked by drug use and trafficking. Kids ill-
equipped to read, write, or understand new technologies.
These problems must have solutions. This Conference hopes
to find them. Because when it comes to education, Washington
Doesn't Know Best. The people do. Nowhere is that truer than
here in the American West where local values and school autonomy
are as revered as love of freedom and of country. The America of
Brigham Young, Mike Mansfield, and Charles M. Russell. And
perhaps nowhere is it more embodied than in the painting just
behind me.
It has been called Russell's greatest work, entitled "Lewis
and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians at Ross' Hole." Russell
painted it in 1911. But it preserves a moment from 1805. And it
says a lot: About the West and, strangely enough, about Western
education. To the right stand Lewis and Clark. Asking questions
about a strange world. Willing and needing to learn. And in the
center are the Indians. Ready to share knowledge, and lead Lewis
and Clark along unknown terrain.
For decades, this spirit of freedom and discovery has
spurred the West. And made possible today's Centennial
observations. Yes, life was hard in 1805. So it was also in the
1880s and '90s. There were homes to be built then, and villages
to be created. And schools to be constructed, so that kids could
learn. How did they do it -- these Centennial pioneers? The
way the West has always done it. They were selfless.
Independent. They were resolute. Unafraid.
4
Let me take a few moments to remember how it was. Not as
a trip down memory lane. But as a profile in the stewardship of
education. A profile of courage, self-discipline, and above all,
sacrifice -- lessons as timely to 1989 as to the pioneers of
1889.
Remember, first, the schools themselves. Names like Dry
Run, Sitting Up, Crocus Hill. And their condition. Small, often
with only one room. Dirt floors. And log walls.
Remember, next, the communities that built the schools. And
what a task it was. Often, lumber was limited -- and had to be
carried for miles. Often, funds were scarce -- but there were
always enough hands. For communities pitched in -- lumberjack,
village smithy, carpenter, mason -- giving of their time, and of
their talents. In one place, a school opened in an abandoned
stable; the kids sat on the manger. In another, the school
opened above a saloon. No endeavor was too great -- no sacrifice
too large. Whatever it took -- however it took -- those kids
would have their school.
Remember, then, the students -- just getting to school could
be mission impossible. In Chinook, Montana, almost a hundred
years ago, 10-year-old Lillian Miller needed sturdy shoes; her
little log school was seven miles from home. And in South
Dakota, two boys had an even longer round-trip -- 24 miles. And
once at school, here's what they found. Makeshift furniture:
Students sat on boxes, or benches. Often, no paper. Or
blackboards. At best -- Shell Creek, Wyoming -- a blackboard
5
made of two rubber boots, split open and tacked on the wall.
Books? They were more elusive than prospectors' gold. Four or
five kids studying from a single volume. And fun? It was even
more remote. Kids were told to keep their feet still. That way,
they wouldn't raise the dust [PAUSE]
when you get home, try
telling that to your kids.
Just think of it. Think of how those students must have
loved to learn -- for look what they endured. And when it came
to love, or endurance, no one eclipsed their teachers. They were
the first stewards of American education.
I'm sure you've heard the old expression, "Problems are
really opportunities in disguise." Well, teachers a century ago
must have seen more opportunities running around than they really
deserved. Leaking roofs. Rooms full of kids of all ages and
abilities. And skunks beneath the schoolhouse -- imagine what
that did for student discipline. Teachers were poorly paid --
less than $30 a month. And often lacked a desk: One teacher
took an organ, removed the keys, and built drawers under the top.
Privacy? What privacy? Teachers were often boarded in small
homes with large families. And they doubled as community leader
-- since the school might serve as town church, social hall,
dance parlor, and balloting place.
Then, there were the parents. And talk about double
jeopardy. They had to run a farm, raise a family, and fight off
everything from claim-jumpers to bears. And if that wasn't
enough, they housed kids from distant families -- caring for them
6
and their own -- without pay. So that every child might have the
chance to learn. Tough to do -- but they did it. For they were
also stewards. And they realized where the future lay: In their
children, through education.
These Centennial pioneers knew, as we do, that education can
carve a better life -- for the son, hoping to be a cattle man, or
that daughter, who wanted to teach the next generation. What's
more, they knew that true learning -- basics like reading,
writing, and arithmetic -- doesn't stem from trendy curricula.
Rather, true learning stems from values that are always in style.
Values like voluntary prayer and "Do unto others." Values that
tell kids why drugs are Public Enemy Number 1 -- and detail a
program, as our Administration has, to defeat that enemy.
In that context, let me say: This Federal drug program
needs your help. We need the States to toughen their laws:
Mandatory time for weapons offenders. No plea-bargaining on
guns. The death penalty for heinous crimes. And the kind of
increased resources -- more police, prosecutors, and prisons --
that ensure vicious thugs will be pursued, prosecuted, and put
away for good. These steps will help make true learning possible
-- and allow teachers to teach values like self-respect,
discipline, good citizenship and patriotism. Values as central
to the American West as the bravery that tamed its wild frontier.
No government planner told these pioneers how to structure
courses. They did it on their own. Or how long the school year
should be. Or whether in Nebraska -- for instance -- the
7
Territorial librarian could serve as superintendent of education.
They decided, right here. They didn't need Washington to know
that those closest to the community best understand its
priorities. Nor do you today. I'm talking about local school
boards, teachers, and parents working with each other and all
levels of government.
In a real sense, that's why you're here. For you know --
like the Centennial pioneers -- how education can inspire. As
legislators and members of the Commission, you want to increase
academic standards and accountability. And spur local flexbility
and choice. For you know that excellence breeds achievement, and
achievement should be rewarded. And so from adult learning to K
through 12 funding to rural development, you're taking that
grass-roots message to the community. As your forefathers did a
century ago. And as America must do today.
This Conference says: "We in the West will do our part."
Well, our Administration will do its part. We, too, must be
stewards. We, too, know education can be a ladder. That is why
in April, I sent to the Congress the "Educational Excellence Act
of 1989. " It seeks to reward improving schools, increase
parental choice, and enhance academic standards. And to invest
in the kids, and their kids, who will truly shape "the next one
hundred years.
The 1989 Education Act can advance that goal. As can this
Conference. And so can an event which occurs next week -- the
Nation's first Educational Summit Conference. In fact, I believe
8
this summit will be the first time a President has asked all 50
Governors and each Cabinet official to meet on a single issue.
To talk. Think. Exchange ideas. Ideas about how to spur
educational reform. And return power to the people.
A prediction: Our Summit will be as wide-ranging as the
West. And a belief: Summit participants will reaffirm the
central lesson of the Centennial pioneers -- only together can we
truly educate America's children. For education is our most
enduring legacy, vital to everything we are and can become.
What a legacy they have given us -- these pioneers of a
century ago. And what a responsibility we have. Let us meet it.
So that a hundred years from now, future generations will say of
us: They taught their children well.
Thank you for the privilege of sharing this occasion, God
bless you, and God bless America.
#
#
#
#
072817SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
9/14/89
9/15/89 NOON
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
STATE LEGISLATURES, HELENA, MONTANA
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT N/Cphone
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
PINKERTON
CICCONI
ANDERSON
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston,
Rm. 122, x2930, no later than NOON, Friday, September 15,
with a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
89 SEP 15 AIO : 46
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Blessey)
Draft Four
September 14, 1989
09 9 SEP 14 P7: 09
MONTANA
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: STATE LEGISLATURES
HELENA, MONTANA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1989
Burno, Congressmon leave
Governor Stevens Representative Peck, Speaker Vincent,
Senate President Galt, Ladies and Gentlemen. Good afternoon, and
thank you for that kind introduction. And let me say what a
pleasure it is to address this Five-State Conference.
stel
You know, being here in Helena reminds me of a book TV series a
mad stet
few months back. Maybe you saw it. "Lonesome Dove." About a
cattle drive which started down in Texas and wound up in Montana.
Well, this is one Texan who's followed suit. And who because of
your hospitality, is feeling anything but "lonesome."
In return, I'd like to share a few words of appreciation.
They're from Henry David Thoreau, who said, "Eastward I go only
by force. Westward I go free." Those words hit home on a day
like this. For it's freedom that moves the mind and spirit as
you travel West from Washington.
You see the Mississippi, mighty and meandering. And the
Great Plains, from Air Force One a giant, sprawling checkerboard.
And then the Rockies, a sampling of God's handiwork. And you're
free to enjoy the Big Sky -- and dream dreams as big as all
America.
But as we dream, we must also act. Act as wise stewards of
this generation -- for all the generations to come.
2
A few moments ago I spoke to the Montana Centennial
Celebration. Where I talked of one kind of stewardship -- the
safeguarding of our national resources. The great outdoors is
precious, but fragile. To preserve it, we must protect it.
Now, in saying this, I'll confess: I feel like a student
advising his teacher. For I don't have to tell you about
hunting, hiking, and rafting. And like me, you never met a fish
you didn't like [PAUSE]
Of course, after my recent vacation
up in Maine, there are some who say I never met a fish, period.
[PAUSE]
Stewardship can mean preserving the purity of our living
environment. For America can only be as beautiful as her people
are vigilant. But stewardship can also mean preserving our
teaching and learning environment. For America can only be as
great as her children are educated.
It's this kind of stewardship I'd like to briefly talk about
and it's the reason each of you is here today in Helena -- many
of you from Centennial States. Sharing ideas and responsibility
to help shape the next one hundred years of American education.
We hear a lot today about education's problems. And we
should. For the problems are real. A rising drop-out rate. Too
little parental involvement. Erratic standards. Too little
accountability -- by teachers, and students. Schools that are
unsafe and wracked by drug use and trafficking. Kids ill-
equipped to read, write, or understand new technologies.
3
These problems must have solutions. This Conference hopes
to find them. Because when it comes to education, Washington
Doesn't Know Best. The people do. Nowhere is that truer than
here in the American West where local values and school autonomy
are as revered as love of freedom and of country. The America of
Brigham Young, Mike Mansfield, and Charles M. Russell. And
perhaps nowhere is it more embodied than in the painting just
behind me.
It has been called Russell's greatest work, entitled "Lewis
and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians at Ross' Hole. " Russell
painted it in 1911. But it preserves a moment from 1805. And it
says a lot: About the West and, strangely enough, about Western
education. To the right stand Lewis and Clark. Asking questions
about a strange world. Willing and needing to learn. And in the
center are the Indians. Ready to share knowledge, and lead Lewis
and Clark along unknown terrain.
of
freedom
$
disc.
For decades, this spirit has spurred the West the spirit
of freedom and discovery.
And made possible today's Centennial
observations. For as life was arduous in 1805, so it was in the
1880s and '90s. There were homes to be built, and villages to be
created. And schools to be constructed, so that kids could
learn. How did they do it -- these Centennial pioneers? The
way the West has always done it. They were selfless.
Independent. They were resolute. Unafraid.
Let me take a few moments to remember how it was. Not as
a trip down memory lane. But as a profile in the stewardship of
4
education. A profile of courage, self-discipline, and above all,
sacrifice -- lessons as timely to 1989 as to the pioneers of
1889.
Remember, first, the schools themselves. Names like Dry
Run, Sitting Up, Crocus Hill. And their condition. Small, often
with only one room. Dirt floors. And log walls.
Remember, next, the communities that built the schools. And
what a task it was. Often, lumber was limited -- and had to be
carried for miles. Often, funds were scarce -- but there were
always enough hands. For communities pitched in -- lumberjack,
village smithy, carpenter, mason -- giving of their time, and of
their talents. In one place, a school opened in an abandoned
stable; the kids sat on the manger. In another, the school
opened above a saloon. No endeavor was too great -- no sacrifice
too large. Whatever it took -- however it took -- those kids
would have their school.
Remember, then, the students -- just getting to school could
be mission impossible. In , -year-old had to walk three
-
miles each way; her only companions were the blizzards and the
wolves. And in South Dakota, two boys had an even longer round-
trip --- 24 miles. And once at school, here's what they found.
Makeshift furniture: Students sat on boxes, or benches. Often,
no paper. Or blackboards. At best -- Shell Creek, Wyoming -- a
blackboard made of two rubber boots, split open and tacked on the
wall. Books? They were more elusive than prospectors' gold.
Four or five kids studying from a single volume. And fun? It
5
was even more remote. Kids were told to keep their feet still.
That way, they wouldn't raise the dust [PAUSE]
when you get
home, try telling that to your kids.
Just think of it. Think of how those students must have
loved to learn -- for look what they endured. And when it came
to love, or endurance, no one eclipsed their teachers. They were
the first stewards of American education.
I'm sure you've heard the old expression, "Problems are
really opportunities in disguise." Well, teachers a century ago
must have seen more opportunities running around than they really
deserved. Leaking roofs. Rooms full of kids of all ages and
abilities. And skunks beneath the schoolhouse -- imagine what
that did for student discipline. Teachers were poorly paid --
less than $30 a month. And often lacked a desk: One teacher
took an organ, removed the keys, and built drawers under the top.
Privacy? What privacy? Teachers were often boarded in small
homes with large families. And they doubled as community leader
-- since the school might serve as town church, social hall,
dance parlor, and balloting place.
Then, there were the parents. And talk about double
jeopardy. They had to run a farm, raise a family, and fight off
evérything from claim-jumpers to bears. And if that wasn't
enough, they housed kids from distant families -- caring for them
and their own -- without pay. So that every child might have the
chance to learn. Tough to do -- but they did it. For they were
6
also stewards. And they realized where the future lay: In their
children, through education.
These Centennial pioneers knew, as we do, that education can
carve a better life -- for the son, hoping to be a cattle man, or
that daughter, who wanted to teach the next generation. What's
more, they knew that true learning -- basics like reading,
writing, and arithmetic -- doesn't stem from trendy curricula.
Rather, true learning stems from values that are always in style.
11
Values like voluntary prayer and "Do unto others. Values that
tell kids why drugs are Public Enemy Number 1 - - and detail a
program, as we have, to defeat that enemy. Values like
courtesy, self-respect, and discipline, good citizenship and
patriotism. Values as central to the American West as the
bravery that tamed its wild frontier.
No government planner told these pioneers how to structure
courses. They did it on their own. Or how long the school year
should be. Or whether in Nebraska -- for instance -- the
Territorial librarian could serve as superintendent of education.
They decided, right here. They didn't need Washington to know
that those closest to the community best understand its
priorities. Nor do you today. I'm talking about local school
boards, teachers, and parents working with each other and all
levels of government.
In a real sense, that's why you're here. For you know --
like the Centennial pioneers -- how education can inspire. As
legislators and members of the Commission, you want to increase
7
academic standards and accountability. And spur local flexbility
and choice. For you know that excellence breeds achievement, and
achievement should be rewarded. And so from adult learning to K
through 12 funding to rural development, you're taking that
grass-roots message to the community. As your forefathers did a
century ago. And as America must do today.
This Conference says: "We in the West will do our part."
Well, our Administration will do its part. We, too, must be
stewards. We, too, know education can be a ladder. That is why
in April, I sent to the Congress the "Educational Excellence Act
of 1989. " It seeks to reward improving schools, increase
parental choice, and enhance academic standards. And to invest
in the kids, and their kids, who will truly shape "the next one
hundred years."
The 1989 Education Act can advance that goal. As can this
Conference. And so can an event which occurs next week -- the nations
of Gov.
first Educational Summit Conference. in our history.
I have asked all 50 Governors and each Cabinet official to
ona
meet with me. To talk. Think. Exchange ideas. Ideas about how
to spur educational reform. And return power to the people.
A prediction: Our Summit will be as wide-ranging as the
West. And a belief: Summit participants will reaffirm the
central lesson of the Centennial pioneers -- only together can we
truly educate America's children. For education is our most
enduring legacy
vital to everything we are and can become.
They changed Sunnit logo
to include a comma,
no periods. TINA
In fact, I believe this
recent kentory that
be the funt temes in a Presedent
summit will mark the
only the third a
has asked.
Desident
8
What a legacy they have given us -- these pioneers of a
century ago. And what a responsibility we have. Let us meet it.
So that a hundred years from now, future generations will say of
us: They taught their children well.
Thank you for the privilege of sharing this occasion, God
bless you, and God bless America.
#
#
#
#
Insert into Montana re. what Pres. wants States to do on drugs
drug
And in that context, let me say: This Federal program needs your help. We
need the States to adopt mandatory time for weapons offenders. No plea-bargaining
on guns. The death penalty for heinous crimes. And the kind of increased resources
-- police, prosecutors, and prisons -- that ensure vicious thugs will be pursued,
prosecuted, and put away for good.
will
These steps reflect the values which make true learning possible -- válues
like self-respect, discipline, good citizenship, and patriotism.
dn
wn
in
lab
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
072817SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
9/14/89
9/15/89 NOON
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
STATE LEGISLATURES, HELENA, MONTANA
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
PINKERTON
CICCONI
ANDERSON
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston,
Rm. 122, x2930, no later than NOON, Friday, September 15,
with a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
See 9/13/89 all SI dES 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
EDUCATION COMMENTS ON MONTANA SPEECH:
--General style does not fit the President's personality.
--The sections about education need to be more Montana-specific: i.e., talk
about implementing choice through the statehouse in Helena; discussion
of alternative certification, etc.
Currently, this are is too broad and only passing references are being made.
-Point should be made that summit with governors is only the beginning:
broader involvement needed to make major improvements in education.
PO2 WA 11137 68 'SI '60
(Smith/Blessey)
Draft Four
September 14, 1989
09 SEP 14 P7: 09
MONTANA
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: STATE LEGISLATURES
HELENA, MONTANA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1989
Governor Stevens, Representative Peck, Speaker Vincent,
Senate President Galt, Ladies and Gentlemen. Good afternoon, and
thank you for that kind introduction. And let me say what a
pleasure it is to address this Five-State Conference.
You know, being here in Helena reminds me of a TV series a.
few months back. Maybe you saw it. "Lonesome Dove." About a
cattle drive which started down in Texas and wound up in Montana.
Well, this is one Texan who's followed suit. And who because of
your hospitality, is feeling anything but "lonesome."
In return, I'd like to share a few words of appreciation.
They're from Henry David Thoreau, who said, "Eastward I go only
by force. Westward I go free." Those words hit home on a day
like this. For it's freedom that moves the mind and spirit as
you travel West from Washington.
You see the Mississippi, mighty and meandering. And the
Great Plains, from Air Force One a giant, sprawling checkerboard.
And then the Rockies, a sampling of God's handiwork. And you're
free to enjoy the Big Sky -- and dream dreams as big as all
America.
But as we dream, we must also act. Act as wise stewards of
this generation -- for all the generations to come.
2
A few moments ago I spoke to the Montana Centennial
Celebration. Where I talked of one kind of stewardship -- the
safeguarding of our national resources. The great outdoors is
precious, but fragile. To preserve it, we must protect it.
Now, in saying this, I'll confess: I feel like a student
advising his teacher. For I don't have to tell you about
hunting, hiking, and rafting. And like me, you never met a fish
you didn't like [PAUSE]
Of course, after my recent vacation
up in Maine, there are some who say I never met a fish, period.
[PAUSE]
Stewardship can mean preserving the purity of our living
environment. For America can only be as beautiful as her people
are vigilant. But stewardship can also mean preserving our
teaching and learning environment. For America can only be as
great as her children are educated.
It's this kind of stewardship I'd like to briefly talk about
and it's the reason each of you is here today in Helena -- many
of you from Centennial States. Sharing ideas and responsibility
to help shape the next one hundred years of American education.
We hear a lot today about education's problems. And we
should. For the problems are real. A rising drop-out rate. Too
little parental involvement. Erratic standards. Too little
accountability -- by teachers, and students. Schools that are
unsafe and wracked by drug use and trafficking. Kids ill-
equipped to read, write, or understand new technologies.
3
These problems must have solutions. This Conference hopes
to find them. Because when it comes to education, Washington
Doesn't Know Best. The people do. Nowhere is that truer than
here in the American West where local values and school autonomy
are as revered as love of freedom and of country. The America of
Brigham Young, Mike Mansfield, and Charles M. Russell. And
perhaps nowhere is it more embodied than in the painting just
behind me.
It has been called Russell's greatest work, entitled "Lewis
and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians at Ross' Hole." Russell
painted it in 1911. But it preserves a moment from 1805. And it
says a lot: About the West and, strangely enough, about Western
education. To the right stand Lewis and Clark. Asking questions
about a strange world. Willing and needing to learn. And in the
center are the Indians. Ready to share knowledge, and lead Lewis
and Clark along unknown terrain.
For decades, this spirit has spurred the West -- the spirit
of freedom and discovery. And made possible today's Centennial
observations. For as life was arduous in 1805, so it was in the
1880s and '90s. There were homes to be built, and villages to be
created. And schools to be constructed, so that kids could
learn. How did they do it -- these Centennial pioneers? The
way the West has always done it. They were selfless.
Independent. They were resolute. Unafraid.
Let me take a few moments to remember how it was. Not as
a trip down memory lane. But as a profile in the stewardship of
4
education. A profile of courage, self-discipline, and above all,
sacrifice -- lessons as timely to 1989 as to the pioneers of
1889.
Remember, first, the schools themselves. Names like Dry
Run, Sitting Up, Crocus Hill. And their condition. Small, often
with only one room. Dirt floors. And log walls.
Remember, next, the communities that built the schools. And
what a task it was. Often, lumber was limited -- and had to be
carried for miles. Often, funds were scarce -- but there were
always enough hands. For communities pitched in -- lumberjack,
village smithy, carpenter, mason -- giving of their time, and of
their talents. In one place, a school opened in an abandoned
stable; the kids sat on the manger. In another, the school
opened above a saloon. No endeavor was too great -- no sacrifice
too large. Whatever it took -- however it took -- those kids
would have their school.
Remember, then, the students -- just getting to school could
be mission impossible. In , -year-old had to walk three
-
miles each way; her only companions were the blizzards and the
wolves. And in South Dakota, two boys had an even longer round-
trip -- 24 miles. And once at school, here's what they found.
Makeshift furniture: Students sat on boxes, or benches. Often,
no paper. Or blackboards. At best -- Shell Creek, Wyoming -- a
blackboard made of two rubber boots, split open and tacked on the
wall. Books? They were more elusive than prospectors' gold.
Four or five kids studying from a single volume. And fun? It
5
was even more remote. Kids were told to keep their feet still.
That way, they wouldn't raise the dust [PAUSE]
when you get
home, try telling that to your kids.
Just think of it. Think of how those students must have
loved to learn -- for look what they endured. And when it came
to love, or endurance, no one eclipsed their teachers. They were
the first stewards of American education.
I'm sure you've heard the old expression, "Problems are
really opportunities in disguise." Well, teachers a century ago
must have seen more opportunities running around than they really
deserved. Leaking roofs. Rooms full of kids of all ages and
abilities. And skunks beneath the schoolhouse -- imagine what
that did for student discipline. Teachers were poorly paid --
less than $30 a month. And often lacked a desk: One teacher
took an organ, removed the keys, and built drawers under the top.
Privacy? What privacy? Teachers were often boarded in small
homes with large families. And they doubled as community leader
-- since the school might serve as town church, social hall,
dance parlor, and balloting place.
Then, there were the parents. And talk about double
jeopardy. They had to run a farm, raise a family, and fight off
everything from claim-jumpers to bears. And if that wasn't
enough, they housed kids from distant families -- caring for them
and their own -- without pay. So that every child might have the
chance to learn. Tough to do -- but they did it. For they were
6
also stewards. And they realized where the future lay: In their
children, through education.
These Centennial pioneers knew, as we do, that education can
carve a better life -- for the son, hoping to be a cattle man, or
that daughter, who wanted to teach the next generation. What's
more, they knew that true learning -- basics like reading,
writing, and arithmetic -- doesn't stem from trendy curricula.
Rather, true learning stems from values that are always in style.
Values like voluntary prayer and "Do unto others. Values that
tell kids why drugs are Public Enemy Number 1 -- and detail a
program, as we have, to defeat that enemy. Values like
courtesy, self-respect, and discipline, good citizenship and
patriotism. Values as central to the American West as the
bravery that tamed its wild frontier.
No government planner told these pioneers how to structure
courses. They did it on their own. Or how long the school year
should be. Or whether in Nebraska -- for instance -- the
Territorial librarian could serve as superintendent of education.
They decided, right here. They didn't need Washington to know
that those closest to the community best understand its
priorities. Nor do you today. I'm talking about local school
boards, teachers, and parents working with each other and all
levels of government.
In a real sense, that's why you're here. For you know --
like the Centennial pioneers -- how education can inspire. As
legislators and members of the Commission, you want to increase
7
academic standards and accountability. And spur local flexbility
and choice. For you know that excellence breeds achievement, and
achievement should be rewarded. And so from adult learning to K
through 12 funding to rural development, you're taking that
grass-roots message to the community. As your forefathers did a
century ago. And as America must do today.
This Conference says: "We in the West will do our part.
Well, our Administration will do its part. We, too, must be
stewards. We, too, know education can be a ladder. That is why
in April, I sent to the Congress the "Educational Excellence Act
of 1989. " It seeks to reward improving schools, increase
parental choice, and enhance academic standards. And to invest
in the kids, and their kids, who will truly shape "the next one
hundred years. "
The 1989 Education Act can advance that goal. As can this
Conference. And SO can an event which occurs next week -- the
first Educational Summit Conference in our history.
I have asked all 50 Governors and each Cabinet official to
meet with me. To talk. Think. Exchange ideas. Ideas about how
to spur educational reform. And return power to the people.
A prediction: Our Summit will be as wide-ranging as the
West. And a belief: Summit participants will reaffirm the
central lesson of the Centennial pioneers -- only together can we
truly educate America's children. For education is our most
enduring legacy
vital to everything we are and can become.
8
What a legacy they have given us -- these pioneers of a
century ago. And what a responsibility we have. Let us meet it.
So that a hundred years from now, future generations will say of
us: They taught their children well.
Thank you for the privilege of sharing this occasion, God
bless you, and God bless America.
#
#
#
#
072817SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
9/14/89
9/15/89 NOON
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
STATE LEGISLATURES, HELENA, MONTANA
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
CICCONI
PINKERTON
ANDERSON
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston,
Rm. 122, x2930, no later than NOON, Friday, September 15,
with a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
Temfic All minor
comment
E1: 11v SI PEP 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Blessey)
Draft Four
September 14, 1989
09 SEP 14 P7: 09
MONTANA
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: STATE LEGISLATURES
HELENA, MONTANA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1989
Governor Stevens, Representative Peck, Speaker Vincent,
Senate President Galt, Ladies and Gentlemen. Good afternoon, and
thank you for that kind introduction. And let me say what a
pleasure it is to address this Five-State Conference.
You know, being here in Helena reminds me of a TV series a
few months back. Maybe you saw it. "Lonesome Dove." About a
cattle drive which started down in Texas and wound up in Montana.
Well, this is one Texan who's followed suit. And who because of
your hospitality, is feeling anything but "lonesome."
In return, I'd like to share a few words of appreciation.
They're from Henry David Thoreau, who said, "Eastward I go only
by force. Westward I go free." Those words hit home on a day
like this. For it's freedom that moves the mind and spirit as
you travel West from Washington.
You see the Mississippi, mighty and meandering. And the
Great Plains, from Air Force One a giant, sprawling checkerboard.
And then the Rockies, a sampling of God's handiwork. And you're
free to enjoy the Big Sky -- and dream dreams as big as all
America.
But as we dream, we must also act. Act as wise stewards of
this generation -- for all the generations to come.
2
A few moments ago I spoke to the Montana Centennial
Celebration. Where I talked of one kind of stewardship -- the
safeguarding of our national resources. The great outdoors is
precious, but fragile. To preserve it, we must protect it.
Now, in saying this, I'll confess: I feel like a student
advising his teacher. For I don't have to tell you about
hunting, hiking, and rafting. And like me, you never met a fish
you didn't like [PAUSE]
Of course, after my recent vacation
up in Maine, there are some who say I never met a fish, period.
[PAUSE]
Stewardship can mean preserving the purity of our living
environment. For America can only be as beautiful as her people
are vigilant. But stewardship can also mean preserving our
teaching and learning environment. For America can only be as
great as her children are educated.
It's this kind of stewardship I'd like to briefly talk about
and it's the reason each of you is here today in Helena -- many
of you from Centennial States. Sharing ideas and responsibility
to help shape the next one hundred years of American education.
We hear a lot today about education's problems. And we
should. For the problems are real. A rising drop-out rate. Too
little parental involvement. Erratic standards. Too little
accountability -- by teachers, and students. Schools that are
unsafe and wracked by drug use and trafficking. Kids ill-
equipped to read, write, or understand new technologies.
3
These problems must have solutions. This Conference hopes
to find them. Because when it comes to education, Washington
Doesn't Know Best. The people do. Nowhere is that truer than
here in the American West where local values and school autonomy
are as revered as love of freedom and of country. The America of
Brigham Young, Mike Mansfield, and Charles M. Russell. And
perhaps nowhere is it more embodied than in the painting just
behind me.
It has been called Russell's greatest work, entitled "Lewis
and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians at Ross' Hole." Russell
painted it in 1911. But it preserves a moment from 1805. And it
says a lot: About the West and, strangely enough, about Western
education. To the right stand Lewis and Clark. Asking questions
about a strange world. Willing and needing to learn. And in the
center are the Indians. Ready to share knowledge, and lead Lewis
and Clark along unknown terrain.
For decades, this spirit has spurred the West -- the spirit
of freedom and discovery. And made possible today's Centennial
observations. For as life was arduous in 1805, so it was in the
1880s and '90s. There were homes to be built, and villages to be
created. And schools to be constructed, so that kids could
learn. How did they do it -- these Centennial pioneers? The
way the West has always done it. They were selfless.
Independent. They were resolute. Unafraid.
Let me take a few moments to remember how it was. Not as
a trip down memory lane. But as a profile in the stewardship of
4
education. A profile of courage, self-discipline, and above all,
sacrifice -- lessons as timely to 1989 as to the pioneers of
1889.
Remember, first, the schools themselves. Names like Dry
Run, Sitting Up, Crocus Hill. And their condition. Small, often
with only one room. Dirt floors. And log walls.
Remember, next, the communities that built the schools. And
what a task it was. Often, lumber was limited -- and had to be
carried for miles. Often, funds were scarce -- but there were
always enough hands. For communities pitched in -- lumberjack,
village smithy, carpenter, mason -- giving of their time, and of
their talents. In one place, a school opened in an abandoned
stable; the kids sat on the manger. In another, the school
opened above a saloon. No endeavor was too great -- no sacrifice
too large. Whatever it took -- however it took -- those kids
would have their school.
Remember, then, the students -- just getting to school could
be mission impossible. In , -year-old had to walk three
I
miles each way; her only companions were the blizzards and the
wolves. And in South Dakota, two boys had an even longer round-
trip -- 24 miles. And once at school, here's what they found.
Makeshift furniture: Students sat on boxes, or benches. Often,
no paper. Or blackboards. At best -- Shell Creek, Wyoming -- a
blackboard made of two rubber boots, split open and tacked on the
wall. Books? They were more elusive than prospectors' gold.
Four or five kids studying from a single volume. And fun? It
5
was even more remote. Kids were told to keep their feet still.
That way, they wouldn't raise the dust [PAUSE]
when you get
home, try telling that to your kids.
Just think of it. Think of how those students must have
loved to learn -- for look what they endured. And when it came
to love, or endurance, no one eclipsed their teachers. They were
the first stewards of American education.
I'm sure you've heard the old expression, "Problems are
really opportunities in disguise." Well, teachers a century ago
must have seen more opportunities running around than they really
deserved. Leaking roofs. Rooms full of kids of all ages and
abilities. And skunks beneath the schoolhouse -- imagine what
that did for student discipline. Teachers were poorly paid --
less than $30 a month. And often lacked a desk: One teacher
took an organ, removed the keys, and built drawers under the top.
Privacy? What privacy? Teachers were often boarded in small
homes with large families. And they doubled as community leader
-- since the school might serve as town church, social hall,
dance parlor, and balloting place.
Then, there were the parents. And talk about double
jeopardy. They had to run a farm, raise a family, and fight off
everything from claim-jumpers to bears. And if that wasn't
enough, they housed kids from distant families -- caring for them
and their own -- without pay. So that every child might have the
chance to learn. Tough to do -- but they did it. For they were
6
also stewards. And they realized where the future lay: In their
children, through education.
These Centennial pioneers knew, as we do, that education can
carve a better life -- for the son, hoping to be a cattle man, or
that daughter, who wanted to teach the next generation. What's
more, they knew that true learning -- basics like reading,
writing, and arithmetic -- doesn't stem from trendy curricula.
Rather, true learning stems from values that are always in style.
Values like voluntary prayer and "Do unto others. Values that
tell kids why drugs are Public Enemy Number 1 -- and detail a
program, as we have, to defeat that enemy. Values like
courtesy, self-respect, and discipline, good citizenship and
patriotism. Values as central to the American West as the
bravery that tamed its wild frontier.
No government planner told these pioneers how to structure
courses. They did it on their own. Or how long the school year
should be. Or whether in Nebraska -- for instance -- the
Territorial librarian could serve as superintendent of education.
They decided, right here. They didn't need Washington to know
that those closest to the community best understand its
priorities. Nor do you today. I'm talking about local school
boards, teachers, and parents working with each other and all
levels of government.
In a real sense, that's why you're here. For you know --
like the Centennial pioneers -- how education can inspire. As
legislators and members of the Commission, you want to increase
7
academic standards and accountability. And spur local flexbility
and choice. For you know that excellence breeds achievement, and
achievement should be rewarded. And so from adult learning to K
through 12 funding to rural development, you're taking that
grass-roots message to the community. As your forefathers did a
century ago. And as America must do today.
This Conference says: "We in the West will do our part. "
Well, our Administration will do its part. We, too, must be
stewards. We, too, know education can be a ladder. That is why
in April, I sent to the Congress the "Educational Excellence Act
of 1989. " It seeks to reward improving schools, increase
parental choice, and enhance academic standards. And to invest
in the kids, and their kids, who will truly shape "the next one
hundred years. "
The 1989 Education Act can advance that goal. As can this
Conference. And so can an event which occurs next week -- the
first Educational Summit Conference in our history.
I have asked all 50 Governors and each Cabinet official to
meet with me. To talk. Think. Exchange ideas. Ideas about how
to spur, educational reform. And return power to the people.
A prediction: Our Summit will be as wide-ranging as the
West. And a belief: Summit participants will reaffirm the
central lesson of the Centennial pioneers -- only together can we
truly educate America's children. For education is our most
enduring legacy
vital to everything we are and can become.
[possible news insert on Education Summit]
8
What a legacy they have given us -- these pioneers of a
century ago. And what a responsibility we have. Let us meet it.
So that a hundred years from now, future generations will say of
us: They taught their children well.
Thank you for the privilege of sharing this occasion, God
bless you, and God bless America.
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