"When Dick Erdmann speaks, you sit totally enthralled with the information he is presenting. Everything that he talks about is a pellet of gold that I can then use and bring back to my operations in the district. It is wonderful to listen to."

  — Anthony Amato, Former Superintendent of New Orleans, LA

Public Speaking

Most of us view our work in education as a calling, not just a job. We work in this field because we love learning and are motivated by the look of pride and amazement on the face of a child as he or she learns something new. Presentations by Syfr President Richard Erdmann renew our love of learning. His speeches and workshops turn audiences into a community of learners, challenging them to think about complex education issues in new ways. Using examples from literature, history, science, the visual arts and other disciplines, he helps educators find solutions to improve student achievement.

Erdmann speaks to a wide variety of audiences, including school district administrators, school board members and teachers. His presentations incorporate local issues and problems, making his speeches and workshops directly relevant to the audience. He focuses on education’s future with topics like educational leadership, the use of educational technology, educational ramifications of global economic trends, and equity issues stemming from No Child Left Behind.

For example, with No Child Left Behind, Erdmann discusses how the legislation changes the future of education as we move from a paradigm that every child can learn, which implies the responsibility for learning is the child’s, to every child will learn and not be left behind, which moves the responsibility to the school. In discussing this legislation Erdmann explains that No Child Left Behind implies that education is doing a good job with a substantial majority of students but that the world now has different demands and requirements. The stakes in education are high in this new world. A student without an education has a rather bleak outlook in terms of income. If the United States continues to leave significant groups of students behind, it faces difficult and perhaps insurmountable economic realities. Even as educators we face organizational and institutional changes if we cannot meet the new demand.

Erdmann sees solutions evolving from an analysis of the data, much of which is already available. He also sees fundamental changes in curriculum, learning time, professional development as well as instructional and learning strategies. By framing the issues in a larger context Erdmann stimulates the audience to look for answers. By providing examples rich in content from both in and outside education, he helps audiences discover solutions and processes which lead to solutions.