In the end, excellence in education means excellence in teaching, and if this country would give the status to first grade teachers that we give to full professors, this one act alone would revitalize the nation's schools.

A poor surgeon hurts one person at a time. A poor teacher hurts 130.

An incompetent teacher is even worse than an incompetent surgeon because a surgeon can only cut up one person at a time.

As I watched my grandfather work with people who were impoverished, I began to understand that to be truly human, one must serve.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if every home had good books instead of knick-knacks and plastic flowers on the bookshelves? And wouldn't it be great if every child heard good speech and received thoughtful answers to their questions instead of 'be quiet' or 'go to bed'?

Literature is an inquiry into the deepest yearnings of the human spirit.

It is no longer enough to simply read and write. Students must also become literate in the understanding of visual images. Our children must learn how to spot a stereotype, isolate a social cliche, and distinguish facts from propaganda, analysis from banter and important news from coverage.