PAYINGïTRIBUTE - Operation Respect

More documents

Recommendations

Info

On September 6, 2007, through the efforts of Operation Respect and the leadership of Peter Yarrow and Dr. Charlotte Frank, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), America’s largest local union of 140,000 educators, joined forces with the New York City PBS flagship stations, WNET Channel 13, WLIW Channel 21, and Operation Respect to produce a PBS special entitled “A Tribute to the Teachers of America.” Randi Weingarten, President of the UFT, saw an opportunity to realize her vision for the production of a special event that would honor teachers by collaborating with Peter, who had produced many public events for the social justice movements of the past. With Dr. Charlotte Frank, Peter reached out to Bill Baker, President of WNET/Thirteen, and David Horn, senior producer at PBS’s Great Performances, who produced the “Tribute” TV Special. Peter rallied the participation of the performers, who participated free of charge, and served as Executive Producer. Jim Brown, who most recently produced and directed the Peter Seeger “Power of Song” documentary for PBS, became the director of the “Tribute.” Dr. Charlotte Frank secured New York’s iconic Town Hall auditorium for the show’s taping before a highly enthusiastic full house consisting of teachers and their children. “Tribute” featured performances by: Peter and Paul, of Peter, Paul and Mary; Elmo, of Sesame Street fame; Odetta; Judy Collins; Tom Paxton; Steve Seskin, co-writer of the “Don’t Laugh At Me” song; Bethany Yarrow & Rufus Cappadocia; and Operation Respect student ambassadors, Baby Jay, a positive teen rapper, and Christine Evans, a young Canadian pop singer of songs of spirit. Spoken presentations by celebrities, all known for their advocacies in the educational arena, were interspersed with the musical performances. Bill Cosby, Cynthia Nixon, Kevin Clash, Elmo’s real-life creator, and Tim McCarver, gave moving spoken tributes to the special teachers who inspired them and changed their lives in their early years. Their testimonies, frequently greeted with emotional and joyous ovations by the audience, reflected the true and essential essence of the reason we honor teachers; beyond the essential task of imparting academic skills and knowledge, teachers impart to students a sense of their own personal worth, inspiring them and letting them know that they are valued, loved, and occupy a meaningful place in the school and larger community. PHOTO OF RANDI WEINGARTEN AND A FORMER STUDENT, COURTESY OF ROBERT CORWIN
PHOTO FROM A TRIBUTE TO THE TEACHERS OF AMERICA, COURTESY OF MADDY MILLER Rosie O’Donnell offered a particularly moving tribute to her grade-school teacher, Evelyn Leiner, whose love, concern and support gave Rosie the strength and courage to cope with the tragically early death of her mother. Evelyn Leiner devoted herself to the care and shepherding of Rosie, her sister and her brothers, enabling them to overcome this devastatingly challenging period. Rosie noted that all the O’Donnell children, because of such care, went on to attend college and pursue successful careers. Rosie closed her remarks with a mention that what Evelyn Leiner did, even today, never fails to bring a tear to her eye. “Tribute” premiered in New York on WNET/Channel 13 in time for the opening of school in the Fall of 2007 and was greeted by rave reviews from the educational and television community. It aired in seven major PBS markets and was slated for many more broadcasts throughout the United States in the following year. Operation Respect will follow the broadcast of “Tribute” with an in-school program that will be offered free of charge, courtesy of The McGraw- Hill Companies, to schools and educators in the United States and beyond. To fulfill the vision of “Tribute” as a TV special and an educational tool designed to engender a spirit of appreciation and respect in schools, OR will develop a Tribute Teacher’s Guide for dissemination and implementation, along with an extended school version of the Tribute program on DVD in 2008. The Tribute Teacher’s Guide will help practitioners further their efforts to create a school environment that is appreciative, not only of teachers, but of students,
Page 2 and 3: Who We Are Message From Chair Messa
Page 4 and 5: I have always said, throughout the
Page 8 and 9: administrators and other school emp
Page 10 and 11: and objectives of UVE. Also at this
Page 12 and 13: that students need to combat bullyi
Page 14 and 15: In November 2007, Peter Yarrow gave
Page 16 and 17: Responding to this call, Peter once
Page 18 and 19: Operation Respect would like to tha
Page 20 and 21: $500-$999 cont. Ten Speed Press Pam
Page 22 and 23: December 31, 2007 2006 ASSETS Cash
Page 24 and 25: STAFF Peter Yarrow, Founder and Pre
Page 26 and 27: BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dolores Eyler, C
Page 28: Operation Respect is a public chari

PAYINGïTRIBUTE - Operation Respect

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?

PAYINGïTRIBUTE - Operation Respect