Cheering teachers pledged to bring about change in the classroom yesterday after a morning of motivational speeches aimed at inspiring them to help students achieve.

Hundreds of public school teachers and other education workers attended the Fairmont Southampton for the Preparing to Change event, where author Keith Harrell — known in the States as Dr. Attitude — had them stomping in the aisles and high-fiving one another after a rousing talk on how to succeed.

Henry Johnson, the Government's new consultant executive officer for education, also received a warm response after a speech detailing his plans for the Island's failing education system. "If we are not adding value to the learning experience then we need to reassess," the American told the audience.

Although the mood was upbeat in the hotel's Poinciana Room, Bermuda Union of Teachers (BUT) president Lisa Trott told The Royal Gazette that the new academic term — which begins on Monday — was not starting on a positive note.

She revealed that teachers still have serious concerns about how the recommendations from an independent report conducted earlier this year by UK professor David Hopkins would be implemented.

"I would like to see the Ministry (of Education) and the BUT working together for the betterment of the education of our children," she said. "I think we have a way to go to get there. At this point in time we are starting with major issues."

She said the Ministry and the interim executive board set up at the suggestion of Professor Hopkins and his team was still acting secretly and leaving teachers out of the loop — despite a key recommendation of the report being to improve communication.

"People just wonder what is going on," she said. Ms Trott added that Dr. Johnson's role was still unclear to the union.

"We have adopted a real 'wait and see' attitude with regard to him and his position. I don't think that we are exactly clear what role he will be serving in or what capacity he will be serving in. It's a bit fuzzy."

Dr. Johnson, former assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education in US president George Bush's government, told those gathered at the Fairmont Southampton he knew they wanted to bring about change.

"More and more educators are beginning to realise that it's okay to have problems and identify those problems and work with colleagues inside and outside the immediate environment to resolve those problems."

He added: "What's our core mission in education? What's the purpose of our business? It's about teaching and learning. That's why we exist."

Dr. Johnson said the key to improvement was curriculum-based and normative — or peer comparison — assessments. "When we teach what we are supposed to teach and measure against that teaching, students are going to learn. It's absolutely shown in every place that it's been tried."

Earlier, Bank of Bermuda chief Philip Butterfield, chairman of the interim executive board on education, outlined the six committees working on restructuring public education. They are looking at topics including principal leadership, teaching and learning, Ministry reform, accountability, parenting and business partnerships and organisational structure.

"Everything I am is a by-product of my experience in public education in Bermuda," he told the audience. "If I can sit where I sit, you can sit wherever you choose to sit."

Education Minister Randy Horton thanked educators for their commitment to the island's youngsters, adding: "I heartily salute you upon the beginning of this new school year."

But it was Mr. Harrell who received the most rapturous applause. He told the crowd they were "super-fantastic", adding: "There is nothing that can stop us from being the school system that we need to be."