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Organizers
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Debbie
Goforth has been an educator and “keeper of hope” in the
Texas school system since 1980, 29 years. She has taught at
every level, but her primary focus has long been the
tumultuous secondary school years. She has a Masters in
Curriculum and Instruction. Debbie was a classroom teacher
for 24 years before stepping into the administrative role of
At-Risk Coordinator 5 years ago. At that time she
turned to public speaking as a means of advocating for kids
of all ages. Debbie has been promoting the phrase “No Child
Will Be Left Behind” long before it came into vogue. She has
been named Teacher of the Year numerous times on her
campuses, but it is not the awards but the rewards of seeing
a child succeed that mean the most to her. She has written a
book about working with at-risk students – Scars of Love,
Tears of Hope. Currently she works as an At-Risk Coordinator
on a 9th grade freshman campus in San Angelo, TX. , there
she runs a highly successful credit recovery program along
with many other duties.
“Debbie
Goforth is the sort of teacher and mentor that every school
wants and every child needs in their lives. Her years of
experience in bringing hope to children from hopeless
situations qualify her as a bona fide expert on the
transformational power of love. Time and again, her stories
illustrate the age-old truth that, in the absence of love,
the most intellectual of words simply fall on deaf ears.
She brings the human touch to teaching, sharing wisdom that
will benefit anyone who would invest in the life of a
child."
Rick Perry, Governor of Texas |
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Larry White has 26 years
experience teaching secondary mathematics in the Texas
public schools system and 6 years experience teaching
mathematics courses for pre-service teachers at Angelo State
University. He was a Texas Presidential Awardee for
Excellence in Mathematics in 1986. Currently, Larry is in
his 7th year as the State UIL Number Sense Contest Director
and the State UIL Mathematics Contest Director and he is in
his 5th year as one of the lead team members on the Texas
State University System’s Mathematics for English Language
Learner Initiative project, TSUSMELL. He is actively
involved in education doing national, state, and local
presentations and workshops on teaching mathematics and
motivating teachers. He mentors teachers, and writes
computer software to help students and teachers improve
their mental math skills. |
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