WHAT IF? WHY NOT? HOW CAN WE MAKE IT HAPPEN? An ATA Odyssey by Douglas Jackson We are the Disney American Teacher Honorees, Class of 2000, and in the beginning we were not unlike the columns of black and white headshots of us that appeared in the ATA brochure that was published shortly after our selection. We were thirty-three teachers separated by the different regions of the country in which we worked, separated by our radically different educational walks of life, separated even by the white borders that displayed our photos in isolated, distinct boxes. Little did we know the extent to which we would totally vaporize the borders that separated us. Little did we know that we were about to become part of a great educational experiment, an experiment that would take us over the next two years to California, Florida, Chicago and back again to our home schools with a renewed sense of mission. I teach deaf students in El Paso, Texas. In August 2000 I was pleased (and stunned) to learn that I had been selected as a 2000 ATA Honoree. That November I was on an airplane headed for Los Angeles for a week of activities that would culminate in the ATA broadcast. I sat on the plane looking at the photos in the brochure, the photos of the other Honorees that I was about to meet. The faces I saw looking back at me were from California, New England, Florida, Texas, and seemingly everywhere in between. Some had been teaching for decades; others were just a few years out of college. The wide range of educational subjects and grade levels these teachers represented matched the vast spectrum of American public schools. What would we say to each other? And yet when this diverse group of professionals arrived in Los Angeles, the bonding began almost immediately. It transcended differences in region, subject matter, grade level and age. It even overcame any sense of competitiveness that may have resulted from participating in a nationally televised awards show. This transformation occurred when we realized exactly how much we had in common. We all had the same passion for working with kids. We had the same drive to pour our ideals, talents and hearts into our work. The honor we had received and the knowledge that we were representing thousands of equally remarkable teachers who might never enjoy this kind of recognition humbled us all. And we all had the same mantras: What if? Why not? How can we make it happen? In late July 2001, the Class of 2000 and administrators from each of their schools came together at the Disney Institute. Although the setting was relaxed, the schedule was intensive. More importantly, for us, the Institute offered a mental ride from point A to point B. Not everyone agreed on every idea and technique; not everyone thought that a given approach would work at his or her school. But all of us, having seen and felt the level of cohesion, cooperation and camaraderie become a group in such a short period of time, and we knew that what we had learned would be very valuable to fellow teachers this school year. I am back in El Paso, working to implement the blueprint for change and collaboration that my principal and I created at the Institute. We all learned more effective, collaborative ways to ask: What if? Why not? and How can we make it happen?