Hoyer: Teachers are 'the most important people in the country'

On Monday district 5 congressional representative Steny Hoyer honored teachers in his district who won major educational awards this last year. 

“The most important people in the country are those who teach the next generation,” Hoyer told his guests.

Congressman Hoyer treated these educators to an elegant lunch in a private banquet room in The Crossing at Casey Jones.  While they ate, the honorees and the congressman discussed several problems which educators face today:  lack of access to technology, unreasonable standardized testing criteria/expectations, English as a second language, and early detection of learning disabilities. 

“The biggest problem with schools today is the parents,” Hoyer began.  The congressman went on to describe his observations of the “erosion of parental support for teachers”.  In his time at school and as a parent of school age children, “if the teacher said your child did something wrong, you believed the teacher over the child”.

Today, Hoyer sees a disturbing lack of parental responsibility toward their children.  He feels that teachers are expected to fill in for the parents even to the point of noticing learning disabilities for them.  The congressman asked the educators if they felt parents were resistant when teachers broached the possibility that a child might have a learning disability.  Most of the teachers in the room quickly agreed. 

Present at the luncheon were:

Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award Recipients – Dana Perdue of Central Elementary (Anne Arundel), Evelyn Sweeney of Leonardtown Elementary (St. Mary’s)

County Teachers of the Year – Kathleen Fowler of The Summit School (Anne Arundel), Julia Habash of Smallwood Middle School (Charles), Leah Rempert of Langley Park-McCormick Elementary (Prince George’s) and Danny Reed of Chopticon High School (St. Mary’s).  Smallwood Middle School Principal Cynthia Baker accompanied Ms Habash. 

Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award Recipients – Dorothy Richards of Pautuxent High School (Calvert), John Brooks of JP Ryon Elementary (Charles), Joyce Erb-Appleman of Berwyn Heights elementary (Prince George’s), and Rhonda McCarthy of Leonardtown High School (St. Mary’s).

Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award Winners – Susan Johnson of Calvert High School (Calvert) and Carol Leveillee of Matula Elementary (Charles).

To contact Anna Dailey about Charles County issues email annadailey@thebaynet.com.
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