Helen Vollmer’s POV - Unheralded Heroes:Teachers

 By Helen Vollmer, President, Edelman Southwest

It’s clear that education in this country needs an overhaul. Just look at Texas, where according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, we rank 49th in verbal SAT scores, 36th in senior graduation rates and 33rd in teacher salaries. Unforgivable. But while governmental budget deficits and antiquated policies and teaching methods are widening the gap in what needs to be done to reform schools versus what is achievable, I’d like to stop a minute to thank teachers, past and present, as unheralded heroes.

There are very few among us that when asked, “Who made a difference in your life?” can’t point to a teacher who gave us new direction, inspiration and knowledge.

For me, this was Mrs. Baker who in 2nd grade recognized I needed glasses to see the blackboard, Mrs. Sparham in grade school who instilled self-confidence, and high school’s Mrs. Zuschlag who infused me with a love of Latin American literature and a more global world view. Thanks also goes to Bernard Leskowitz, a Radio-TV Professor at UT at the time, who encouraged me to write via seriously critical reviews of my work. They may not remember me, but I remember them and how they changed the course of my life.

For more than a decade, I’ve worked with education clients to help them and their institutions - whether at primary, secondary or university levels - find their voice. Teachers, at their best, are mentors and guides who lead us down new paths and force us to find the best in ourselves. And while there are those in the classroom who clearly shouldn’t be there, all professions are touched by the incapable or, almost worse, the simply mediocre. There are plenty of educators who are gifted and exceptional. Teachers, as a profession should, on the whole, be revered and treated as the leaders they truly are.

The education system may be broken, but the fault doesn’t lie necessarily with teachers. The fault more appropriately lies with all of as community members, students, parents, and individuals who too easily find blame but don’t step up to the plate to be change agents. If we support teachers and the challenges they face every day in the classroom by ferociously advocating for reform with our elected and appointed officials as well as with local school boards and administrators, then teachers at least have a chance to focus on what’s truly important: making our children knowledgeable, well-rounded and productive citizens.

One last shout out—to my mom, Helen Dromgoole Vollmer, and her mother, Helen Deermont Dromgoole- who were amazing classroom teachers but as great life lesson coaches, instilled a love of learning in me and my siblings. Well done, ladies. It’s time to pay it forward.

Vollmer is Passionate about Generation TX

by Denisha Stevens, Vollmer Public Relations Dallas

One of the great things about working at Vollmer is the fact that we have the opportunity to take part in programs that we are especially passionate about.  Today that special program is Generation TX (GenTX).

We are working with Milkshake Media, an Austin-based brand agency, to support the campaign by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to foster a college-going culture in the state.  To understand the challenge and why we are so fired up about this assignment, consider these statistics:

• Texas has a population where 20 percent of residents over 25 have failed to complete high school and only 55 percent of students go to college.
• A high percentage of the public school students in Texas will be the first in their family to pursue college or career education beyond high school.
• Studies show that a college graduate will have $1 million more in lifetime earnings than a high school dropout.

It’s safe to assume that many of us wouldn’t be in our current professions if we hadn’t had the opportunity to pursue a college education or specialized training after high school.  Where would we be today if we’d had difficulty making our way through the application process or failed to find a way to pay for tuition?  The GenTX initiative has been created to help students overcome these obstacles.

Through a variety of grassroots tactics, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is asking community organizations and leaders to engage students and then connect them and their families to the resources   they  need to prepare for, apply to and pay for college and career education beyond high school.  The program will be launched in the pilot markets of Fort Worth and San Antonio this fall, with plans to reach out to additional markets in the future. 

We invite you to learn more at www.GenTX.org and check back frequently to watch the program take shape in the coming months.  Likewise, we invite you to do your part to reach out to students in your community to share this important resource.  After all, educating the next generation of Texans is something we all should be passionate about.

A Song of Texas

by Helen Vollmer, CEO Vollmer Public Relations

See the YouTube video with Stephen F. Austin and Helen Vollmer!

I am proud to be a fourth generation Texan. My brother Ferdie (as in Ferdinand) would tell you we come from good German pioneer stock and from my love of bread and carbohydrates alone I know this to be true.

While I grew up as a city girl in San Antonio, some  of my earliest memories are of rural Texas:  watching Aunt Sally in a flour sack apron wring a chicken’s neck on the farm outside of Luling, playing bingo surrounded by  German matrons with their stockings rolled down below their pudgy thighs in the sweltering heat of summer at the Catholic church in Castroville, or sitting in the shade of a lonely oak tree in a field with my mama  to pluck the feathers off of doves that were brought in from the hunt outside of McAllen.

My parents gave me the confidence to believe in myself. But this self-esteem is rooted in knowing I belong to a place that is unique and belongs to me and those I love.  Texas is home.  Its smells, like the humid salty air of Galveston; its colors, like those found at el mercado in San Antonio; and its textures, like the patina of worn cowboy boots made by hand in Fort Worth are anchors that allow me to know myself and find comfort in big hair, Robert Earle Keene and the Art Car Parade. 

Luckily, through our Texas Tourism work (www.traveltex.com) I’m able to share how special this state is with the rest of the world.  Did you know that 194 million domestic visitors traveled to and within Texas in 2008?  Or that total direct travel spending in the state that same year had an economic impact of more than 60 billion dollars?  That’s right, pardner, traveling to Texas is big business. 

But forget about the facts.  Come to Texas to soak up the majestic canyons of Big Bend as they meet the Rio Grande or to dance the night away in Gruene next to cowboys in the starchiest white shirts you’ll ever see.  Go to an East Texas hole-in-the-wall to hear the best Zydeco around or sink your feet in the white sands in west Texas.  Ride a road bike over cattle guards and under railroad trestles to look up and find yourself in a sweet blackberry patch right before a Spring hail storm. 

There is no one Texas.  The Piney Woods are a world apart from the Gulf Coast.  The Hill Country is as culturally and geographically unique as are the wide open spaces of the Texas Panhandle.  And as Lyle Lovett sings, “Fort Worth and Dallas/ A million miles away,” even though it’s called the Metroplex.

Like life, Texas is what you make of it.  And the experiences you can have are as wide as the big blue skies here.  But before you visit, call me and I’ll give you some tips that will make you seem like a native.  After all, we can’t all be born under the Lone Star, but we’re happy to share.

Happy Holidays! Stand Up and Be Counted!

by Lori Martin, Vollmer Public Relations Houston

Most everybody knows the story about a young woman named Mary and her husband, Joseph, packing up and heading to Bethlehem.  But do you remember why they made the trip?

As ordered by Caesar Augustus, they had to be counted -- for what is now known as the census.
Census and Christmas don’t typically go hand in hand.  However, this year, on the cusp of the next decennial count, the word “census” is buzzing through the hallways at Vollmer Public Relations.  Vollmer recently was awarded a contract from the City of Houston to support its Houston Counts program for the 2010 U.S. Census.

In the 2000 Census, Houstonians were seriously undercounted.  This time around, we are working very aggressively to ensure that Houston gets its full fair share of funding based on this upcoming census. Federal funding allocations for education, social services, and transportation, among other things, depend on counting everyone, including our “hard to reach” residents.

Wherever you live, please make sure you’re part of the solution. The 2010 Census will arrive via mail at your home address in mid to late March. The census form must be submitted via mail to the U.S. Census Bureau on or before April 1.

Remember:

• It’s easy – It’s only 10 questions.
• It’s safe – Your answers are not shared with the IRS, with Citizenship and Immigration Services, or any other agency of the federal government.
• It’s important – Houston failed to receive around $234 million because of the undercounts of the 2000 Census, and many areas are still not receiving the benefits they would have received if the count had been accurate. (If you live outside Houston, your city may also have been undercounted.)

Here are 50 more reasons why it’s important.

So, join us on Facebook and encourage your friends, families and neighbors to be counted, by submitting their census form by April 1, 2010.

Howdy Canada!

by Rachelle Khalaf

In living so far down south, many Houstonians miss out on the small nuances that differentiate Canadians from Americans. If you live in a border town like Detroit, MI or Buffalo, NY you might understand what “I’ll have a double double” means or what a tuque is. You might wonder why these nuances are so important, it’s because Houstonians have MANY connections to their northern neighboUrs which can be summed up in two words – oil sands.

So, in honoUr of Canada Day, the anniversary of the July 1, 1867 enactment of the British North America Act of 1867, which united Canada as a single country of four provinces (we’re up to 10 provinces and 3 territories now!), I’d like to share with my fellow southerners some facts about Canada:

1. Canada is the second largest country in the world.
2. Canada has the ninth biggest economy of the world
3. Canada is the world's eighth biggest trader.
4. The most popular Canadian quick service restaurant is “Tim Horton’s” – a doughnut shop famous for its coffee and ordering rhetoric. Double-double = two creams, two sugars, Regular = one cream, one sugar.
5. Every traffic sign must in French and English, unless you’re in Quebec – then it’s only in French.
6. According to the United Nations Human Development Index, Canada has the highest quality of life in the world.
7. Canadians pronounce the last letter of the alphabet as ZED, not ZEE.
8. The longest running TV show in Canada, since 1955, is “Hockey Night In Canada” which airs on the CBC TV network on Saturday evenings.
9. A tuque is a type of hat – typically worn in winter which is usually about 5 months long – from November to April.
10. Of all of the world's producers of natural gas, copper, zinc, nickel, aluminum, and gold, Canada is in the top five.
11. Canada is the home of many great inventions, including: insulin, basketball, baseball glove, the electric light bulb, the electric range, the electron microscope, standard time, the television, the telephone, and the zipper.
12. Canada is the fifth largest energy producer.
13. Canada has the world's highest tertiary education (or post-secondary) enrolment.
14. Contrary to popular opinion, Canada does not own the North Pole. In fact, the North Pole is not owned by any country. It is believed, however, that Santa Claus is from Canada.

Texas Leaders Make Do With Less

by Linda Edwards

The pinch you’ve been feeling in the wallet is now a giant pinch in Austin as the economic slump finally hits Texas government. Although Texas is faring better than most states due to fiscal prudence and the days of four dollar gas, the state’s budget is estimated to be about 9 billion leaner this biennium than last.

While the House got off to a harmonious start with a new speaker last month, there was no peace pipe passed in the Senate where the first two days drew partisan bickering over rule changes to facilitate voter ID legislation. Yet with brand new leadership in the House, the hope is the focus will be more on the merits of tough choices and less on political scorekeeping.

That said, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison will be keeping score when it comes to the performance of Governor Rick Perry as the two are expected to square off in the Republican primary for Governor next year. Likewise, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst may have his next bid for higher office, yet to be declared, on his mind as he leads the Senate this session.

But the new Speaker, Joe Straus III, says he will push politics aside for the good of Texas. “Collaboration is the key to success in this session,” Straus said. “We will create an atmosphere where everyone’s voice can and should be heard, a place where we respect each other’s point of view.”

Some issues lawmakers are expected to consider are:

1. Merging the troubled Texas Youth Commission with the Juvenile Probation Commission;
   closing expensive institutions for the mentally retarded in favor of community living
2. Reducing emphasis on a single classroom test
3. How to effectively continue to the Texas Windstorm Insurance program
4. Energy solutions such as solar panels
5. Expansion of gambling

Anyone wanting to influence state legislators has a limited time to do so. The workload will pick up for lawmakers as the session moves forward, so any communications must be early, planned, brief and to the point. Many industries and organizations already have hired us and other communications professionals to help with their messages and how to best deliver them. A little bit of preparation and coaching goes a long way with this busy body.