Speech endorses education

Bloomington High School North’s media center served as the stage for Dr. Robert Barr’s presentation titled “Striving for Excellence in a Time of Crisis: the Marketplace the World.’”

A former director of teacher education at IU, Barr consults some of the poorest districts in the nation and encourages students to strive for academic achievement.

After thanking the Monroe County School Board, J.T. Coopman,,, the superintendent of Monroe County Community Schools,, discussed how after meeting Dr. Barr at a conference, he was determined to have him speak in Monroe County.

“When I brought the idea of bringing Dr. Barr in to the Monroe County School Board, they were all in,” Coopman said.

Coopman commended Dr. Barr on his fervent dedication to promoting the necessity of education.

“What you will see is true passion for education, for kids living in poverty that need us the most,” Coopman said. “It’s his life’s work.”

Barr began by saying while every other work force has begun to drastically change, the field of education has remained steadfast.

“Remember the old dream in America that anything is possible? That’s not true anymore,” Barr said. “There’s only one door for a good life in America and that’s education.”

Educators, reporters, high school students and other members of the community leaned forward and listened attentively as Barr urged members of the community to get involved with improving education for students at the earliest age possible.

“We need the support of the whole community,” Barr said. “We need churches and policemen and firefighters to rally around and support these kids.”

Reading, Barr said, was key to the beginning of a successful college career.

Barr was raised on a farm in Texas by a father with a second grade education and a mother with  a third grade education, Barr said.

“The principal sent a letter to my family. A letter to a family that couldn’t read,” Barr said. “We had to get the preacher to come in and read the letter to us.”

Barr concluded by stressing that the one person who can have the most impact on a child’s life is an educator.

“If it hadn’t been for a teacher and another teacher and another teacher, I would probably be a dry-land farmer in Texas,” Barr said. “Educators changed that.”