The Bermuda Union of Teachers? 20th Annual Conference kicked off with a bang when guest speaker Michael Pintard had educators and counsellors sitting on the edge of their seats.

Mr. Pintard, an international speaker, author and human resource development consultant, challenged teachers to not only encourage their students but to also take a look within and to evaluate themselves on whether they were being the best they could be.

?As teachers you have a moral duty to capture the students? attention when they first walk into your class,? said Bahamanian Mr. Pintard, speaking at the CedarBridge Academy.

?You have a moment of opportunity and they will remember that.

?You want to be a memorable teacher and if you didn?t do your best and if it is just a pay cheque then you need to be doing something else.

?Everyday you must feel that you have achieved.?

Also speaking at yesterday?s conference were Minister of Education Paula Cox and United Bermuda Party Shadow Education Minister Neville Darrell, comedian Bootsie and BUT president Anthony Wolffe.

Mrs. Cox said that she would be tabling the Education Amendment Act in the House of Assembly today. She also said her Ministry would be looking at ways of ensuring that violence in the schools would end.

?The incident that happened at Berkeley Institute (a teacher almost lost his eye two weeks ago after being attacked by a student) and other schools will not be tolerated,? said Mrs. Cox.

She said they would also be looking at the recruitment and retention of teachers.

Mr. Darrell told the audience in the Ruth Seaton James auditorium that growing up he was a black male with a speech impediment.

?I was the guy who acted out in class to get attention and was playing the class clown,? said Mr. Darrell.

?One of my teachers took me aside and gave me a poem to learn, and I thought life is not poetry. The poem changed my life and carried me through.?

Norma Jean Richardson, deputy head of CedarBridge Academy said she felt the conference was very enjoyable and informative.

?I really enjoyed the opening speeches this morning ? I think that I could have listened to him (Dr. Pintard) all day,? she said.

?I also found his workshop on goal-setting and leadership skills very informative.?

Waverley Minors, a para-professional at Dellwood Middle School, said the conference had shown her new ways of setting and achieving her goals in a systematic way.

Meanwhile, Rhonda Rawlins won the coveted BUT Teacher of the Year Award with Gayle Smith and Heather Foggo runners-up.

Several retirees were also honoured, Freda Roderick, Rose Pat Douglas, Ivena Laurenco, Stanley Roberts, Rosemarie Chrichlow, Elaine Harris and Olga Stovell.