2001 Alaska Teacher of the Year
Ms. Truman teaches Language Arts to eighth grade students at Palmer Junior Middle School in Palmer, Alaska. She has been teaching General Curriculum, Reading, Gifted Education and Language Arts for twenty-six years to students in kindergarten through grade six as well as teaching adults.

What are your beliefs about teaching?
"Good teaching challenges students to know and to care about knowing. Good teaching helps students to not only know what they know but how they know it. Anchored in standards, good teaching practice embraces both cognitive and affective learning."

How are your beliefs incorporated in your teaching style?
"There are four components of cognitive learning: production, application, arbitration and conversation. Affective learning includes organization, preparedness and respect. My teaching mastery exemplifies cognition. My personal teaching style models affective behavior required for success."

What is your greatest teaching accomplishment?
"My greatest accomplishment is creating and sustaining a daily radio spot that is a middle school forum called Middle Ground."

What's the most critical issue facing educators today and what do you think can be done to resolve this issue?
"The most critical issues facing educators today are the teacher shortage, recruitment and retention. These issues could be resolved by shouting out loud 'For many youngsters, teachers are the only stable adults in their lives. Teachers are their only hope.' Teachers must embrace and cultivate those hopes."

Inspirational thought:
"Students' successes are teachers' most profound accomplishments."