A passionate plea for our public school system

T. Allen Lawson was given a Governor’s Art Award last week in Cheyenne. He is a Wyoming native. Part of his acceptance speech was a passionate plea for the Wyoming public school system. At the end of his speech, he received a rousing loud standing ovation by the 400 plus people in attendance. With his approval, below is that portion of the speech. 

“I am also a product of our Wyoming public school system, as is my mother, and my sister and
brother, as are several of our children- three generations of public-school students right there in
Sheridan. In fact, if it were not for one teacher, my junior high art teacher, Miss Nancy Buening I
would not be standing here tonight, nor would I have anything to do with being an artist. 

 I was raised in a family where the arts were not a part of my upbringing. For much of my youth, my mother worked mostly as a secretary, my father was consumed with owning a pizza restaurant. It is true that I enjoyed drawing as a young child, but I had no guidance, limited encouragement, nor any knowledge of what it took to become an artist. One person, one public school teacher, one Miss Buening changed the course of my entire life as she exposed me to the wonders and possibilities of an artistic life. It has not been easy, nor should it be. Instead of stripping away from the public schools, we, as a state, as a country, as citizens should be investing more into our public education. We should pay and value our teachers much much more. They have the ability to enlighten and develop young minds. What more could we ask for? I fear tremendously we are allowing legislation to gut our belief in our PUBLIC school system.

“So here we are in the state capital of Cheyenne, where I feel compelled to ask those of you who govern and legislate, please, for those of us who were born and raised in this wonderful state: Don’t turn Wyoming into something we won’t recognize!”