2001 Department of Defense Teacher of the Year
Ms. Harris has twenty-three years of teaching experience and is currently a teacher at Stowers Elementary School in Fort Benning, Georgia. She teaches research skills, critical and creative thinking, independent study and academic acceleration to students in kindergarten through grade five.

What are your beliefs about teaching?
"Effective teaching is all about teachers' attitudes, principles and priorities. Good teachers take the initiative to do whatever it takes, consistent with the right principles, to find the way each child learns best and makes sure that it happens."

How are your beliefs incorporated in your teaching style?
"I work to instill my own proactive attitude in my students. I help them to identify their strengths and interests to determine their missions in life. Finally, goal setting, based on their specific mission, is an integral part of my teaching.

What is your greatest teaching accomplishment?
"Stacks of photographs and letters from these past two decades from my students who are now happy, successful, well-adjusted adults, who continue to stay in touch, is my ultimate measure of accomplishment.

What's the most critical issue facing educators today and what do you think can be done to resolve this issue?
"The movement towards performance-based standards, which is a positive development stressing that students use their acquired knowledge in a productive, observable way, is the most critical issue for teachers. Teachers must become experts on the NCEE standards, using varied assessments to demonstrate student achievement and disseminating the results to the public. They must be adept at using all the research-based practices to ensure that learning takes place."

Inspirational thought:
"'All children deserve new learning every day.' (Dr. Joyce Van Tassel-Baska)."