On Monday, Oct. 25, the Temple Performing Arts Center hosted U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Mayor of Philadelphia Michael Nutter, Superintendent of Philadelphia School District Arlene Ackerman, actor Tony Danza, high school students, teachers and members of the Temple University community for a town hall meeting on the importance of great teachers. 

Sponsored by Comcast, the U.S. Department of Education and A&E Networks, the event was the fist in a series of national discussions about the future of US Education policy. The forum coincided with both the launching of TEACH, a new federal initiative designed to recruit teachers to urban and rural school districts, and the broadcast of “Teach: Tony Danza,” a television miniseries produced by A&E at Philadelphia’s Northeast High School.

Following opening remarks from Temple President Anne Weaver Hart, Mayor Nutter, AETN President and CEO Abbe Raven, and Comcast Executive Vice President David L. Cohen, a panel of education experts, including current teachers and a principal, discussed the qualities that drew them to teaching, the joys and challenges of their work and what teachers can do to change the lives of their students.

During a question and answer session moderated by Temple College of Education Dean C. Kent McGuire, audience members — including former students of Tony Danza from his time teaching tenth grade English at Northeast High School — were able to learn what experienced teachers have done to manage to their classrooms and engage their students in meaningful learning. 

One panelist, Stone Mountain, Va. teacher Muhammad Al-Ahmar, noted the importance of learning how to relate directly with students, while Overbrook Education Center teacher Diane Honor talked about a teacher’s ability to instill a love of learning in young students.

Secretary Duncan encouraged audience members interested in learning more about becoming a teacher to visit www.teach.gov, which offers a roadmap to becoming an educator. 

Video clips of the forum will be available soon on teach.gov, A&E’s website, and Comcast’s video on demand system.