In Advertising Campaign To Lure Business
In Advertising Campaign To Lure Business
The mustachioed man in the fatigue jacket, dark glasses, and watch cap leans against a brick wall, his bloodied, bandaged fist raised in a defiant gesture for the photograph.
Is he a terrorist caught in the act of planting a bomb? Or a lone assassin? No, he is Terry Weeks, 7th-grade teacher at Central Middle School in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and the national Teacher of the Year.
The photo depicts Mr. Weeks in one of the many roles he plays to enliven discussion in his social-studies class. It is appearing in newspaper advertisements promoting Tennessee as a place to locate industry.
“We are proud of Terry Weeks. And we are proud of what a teacher like Terry says about public education in Tennessee,’' the advertising copy says. “We’re as serious about our schools as we are about your business, for today and the future.’'
The ad appeared in the May 24 issue of the Wall Street Journal, the May 27 issue of USA Today, and last week’s and this week’s editions of every daily newspaper in Tennessee.
The $322,000 ad campaign is part of Gov. Ned McWherter’s new “Schools That Work, Jobs That Pay’’ promotion to link education and economic development in the state.
Mr. Weeks has agreed to work for free in his role as national spokesman for the campaign. KG
