President’s Message
By Karen Foster, President
By Karen Foster, President
During WWII, the British government set forth a propoganda campaign to raise the morale of the people of England during the pervasive
bombing of the Blitzkrieg and to prepare them for a potential German invasion. The “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster was the third in a
series of three and had not been released or widely known. That is until 2000. This poster was rediscovered in a box of old books and
can now be seen from both sides of the pond in offices, schools, government buildings, and even in Buckingham Palace.
What is the power of its message, and why does it resonate now for us as literacy leaders across this great state of Texas? Although we
have not faced times as dire as England did during the later 30’s and early 40’s, I feel that as literacy leaders and English teachers we
have been under attack from a variety of arenas – from state standards that have inherent and pervasive flaws that can undermine good
pedagogy if not aligned and immersed in best practice, to new testing standards that must align with the new TEKS yet still maintain the
standard of excellence we stand on. We also face shrinking budgets, larger class sizes, less support personnel, and even reductions in
force.
Needless to say, times are tough. The challenges are real. The purpose and power of CREST have never been more evident than now.
It is imperative that we as a unified body of professional literacy leaders must endeavor to:
KEEP CALM in the midst of all the potential chaos that our profession faces today;
STAND STRONG in what we know as research-based, process-centered pedagogy and seek to share our expertise with each other
as well as other literacy leaders across the nation as well a across Texas; and
CARRY ON in supporting our teachers, our peers, and our profession.
Karen Foster
President, CREST
bombing of the Blitzkrieg and to prepare them for a potential German invasion. The “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster was the third in a
series of three and had not been released or widely known. That is until 2000. This poster was rediscovered in a box of old books and
can now be seen from both sides of the pond in offices, schools, government buildings, and even in Buckingham Palace.
What is the power of its message, and why does it resonate now for us as literacy leaders across this great state of Texas? Although we
have not faced times as dire as England did during the later 30’s and early 40’s, I feel that as literacy leaders and English teachers we
have been under attack from a variety of arenas – from state standards that have inherent and pervasive flaws that can undermine good
pedagogy if not aligned and immersed in best practice, to new testing standards that must align with the new TEKS yet still maintain the
standard of excellence we stand on. We also face shrinking budgets, larger class sizes, less support personnel, and even reductions in
force.
Needless to say, times are tough. The challenges are real. The purpose and power of CREST have never been more evident than now.
It is imperative that we as a unified body of professional literacy leaders must endeavor to:
KEEP CALM in the midst of all the potential chaos that our profession faces today;
STAND STRONG in what we know as research-based, process-centered pedagogy and seek to share our expertise with each other
as well as other literacy leaders across the nation as well a across Texas; and
CARRY ON in supporting our teachers, our peers, and our profession.
Karen Foster
President, CREST
CREST
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| Keep Calm, Stand Strong, Carry On |