2016 BP Teacher of Excellence – KPBSD Communications Field Notes

Patti Truesdell | 2016 BP Teacher of Excellence

Patti Truesdell – Hope School
2016 BP Teacher of Excellence

“This year’s nominees were again, an excellent representation of our staff as a whole,” said Sean Dusek, superintendent. “They are humble, hard-working and student-centered. I was particularly impressed with how all of the finalists have gone the extra mile for their students and make sure every student they work with know that they are loved.”

Patti, or “Mrs. T” as the kids call her, is a reading, language arts and history teacher for Kindergarten through 12^th grade at Hope School. She has been a teacher for 13 years, all in Alaska, after a 23-year career in healthcare.

“I believe I was inspired to teach by having had good teachers when I was in public school as a child,” said Patti Truesdell. “I was the kind of child that teachers liked. I was quiet and bookish. My parents divorced when I was in sixth grade, and that was the year we had Mr. Holte. He made sixth grade so much fun! The weird thing I remember is that he had these big, heavy braces on his legs, and he walked really stooped over. He wore those old man pants with the big creases in them. But we did not care about his braces or his pants or his limp. He made every day so much fun. That was the year we wrote plays, directed them, had a class newspaper and I was Dear Patty (that was before I changed the “y” to an “i” to get more personality like Teen Magazine suggested I do). I even remember wearing a potato costume sometime that year! Whatever we suggested, Mr. Holte would laugh and tell us, that was a great idea, let’s do it! He just made everything fun. We never thought of him as old, or crippled—he was our teacher and we loved him. That is the kind of teacher I always wanted to be. Years later, I feel the same way when I am in a classroom. My students do not see me as an old 64 year old teacher who has to take off her glasses to read. I don’t feel old when I am with them, I am just Ms. T. They trust me and know that I love them. School should be a safe place for students—it was for me when I was little and that is what I want for my students. School should be a safe place for students to learn and for teachers to teach. Everyone once in a while, I just marvel at how much fun I have each and every day in a classroom and I think, “Wow! … This teaching is so much fun!” I never saw Mr. Holte again after I left sixth grade, I hope he had a good life and knows what a great teacher I always thought he was.”

Patti is one of only two teachers at Hope School. That means she has to wear a lot of hats. Moment to moment, she has shift, going from how to count in kindergarten to “How to Kill a Mockingbird” in high school.
The community of Hope is fewer than 200 people. So teaching in such a small school brings with it an enormous advantage–Patti is able to devote lots of personal attention to students. And, then, because she is with them year after year for so long, she knows better than anyone what their trouble areas are and what their potential is. She states, “My teaching style is to work with students as individuals and get them actively involved in their own learning. If a student is having trouble in one area, we come up with a plan together to improve it. Then we get it done.”
Patti works to engage parents, and the parents have responded to her approach–which is evidenced by the school’s increase in census where it had been decreasing before she arrived. That’s part of the impact a teacher can have on a small community. And Patti loves teaching at Hope. Even though she lives in Soldotna, she commutes to school, renting a room in Hope during the week.
Here’s one example she gives of the difference between a large school and her beloved little school in Hope: “I have a little girl in sixth grade whom I’ve been teaching since kindergarten. She has always struggled in math and reading. But I’ve known her for a long time now and I knew she had strengths in certain areas. She was gifted in art and could do puzzles better than anyone else in class. We got her some special services help, and continued to work with her every day. When I got her winter benchmark test scores back this year, she was reading at her grade level for the first time. I pulled her outside the classroom and told her. She was so proud! We stepped back into the classroom and told the other students, and they gave her a standing ovation. That is what a small school is like. Everyone cheered for this young lady, and when we’re reading in class, when she has trouble, they help her.”
Under Patricia, students become family. A mother of four adult children and 12 grandchildren, Patricia finds time to take her kids to Anchorage and other communities for additional education experiences, conduct cooking class in the evening, tutor after school, and volunteer for American Lung Association and Tobacco Alliance. She even promotes recovery and prevention programs for addicts.
This is what a former student wrote about Patricia: “Every child who has contact with her comes away feeling loved and valued. She empowers and aides them in making their ideas become reality. Her mentoring and caring helped to change my life.”
Congratulations, Patricia Truesdell, BP Teacher of Excellence.

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2016 KPBSD BP Teachers of Excellence L-R, Darilynn Caston, Redoubt Elementary; Sharon Hopkins, Tustumena Elementary; Nickole Lyon, Seward Elementary; Patti Truesdell, Hope School; James Knoebel, Soldotna High School — 2016 KPBSD BP Teachers of Excellence
L-R, Darilynn Caston, Redoubt Elementary; Sharon Hopkins, Tustumena Elementary; Nickole Lyon, Seward Elementary; Patti Truesdell, Hope School; James Knoebel, Soldotna High School

Nickole Lyon | 2016 BP Teacher of Excellence

Nickole Lyon – Seward Elementary School
2016 BP Teacher of Excellence
Special education preschool teacher

“None of us get good at what we do without a little help,” said Nikole Lyon. “I work with some of the most dedicated families and professionals I know on a daily basis. I am so thankful to live and teach in a community that is as passionate about teaching the whole child as I am. Thank you for your support and encouragement to grow into the teacher I am today.”
“It was an honor to attend the BP Teachers of Excellence award dinner to honor Nickole Lyon, Seward Elementary preschool intensive needs special education teacher,” said David Kingsland, principal. “Nickole is an excellent teacher, who uses child centered instruction to help integrate students into her classroom and to develop their full potential.”
“This year’s nominees were again, an excellent representation of our staff as a whole,” said Sean Dusek, superintendent. “They are humble, hard-working and student-centered. I was particularly impressed with how all of the finalists have gone the extra mile for their students and make sure every student they work with know that they are loved.”

A graduate of Chadron State College in Nebraska, she achieved her Master of Education in Early Childhood Special Education from University of Alaska Anchorage. She has been a teacher for 11 years, all in Alaska.
As a parent, you know just how much help your child requires on a daily basis. So there’s nothing more terrifying than the thought of sending that child away–being out of sight, saying good bye and letting go–allowing your child to be under the care of someone else, especially if they require special needs.
Imagine the parent’s immense relief to find out Nickole is that someone else. One of her student’s parents says: “She creates a happy, beautiful, organized and enriching classroom for my son and his classmates. They receive amazing one-on-one attention.”
When one of Nickole’s students learned that his military family will be moving to Virginia, she made contact with the child’s new teacher and set up a Skype date so he could see his new classroom all the way across the country.
Nickole says: “At the heart of my instruction is developmental play. At three, four and five years old, play is their driving force. It’s how they develop personality, sense of self and social skills.” Nickole is constantly analyzing their actions during play, evaluating their interests, and emotional, physical and cognitive development to adjust her curriculum for each child, and for the class as a whole. She says, “I’m building their confidence to work outside their comfort zone. Learning is much easier if you’re confident.” She gently pushes them to advance and achieve a measure of independence. “I am a firm believer in teaching the whole child,” she says. “My heart swells with pride when I’m out at some community event with my family and I see former students who once struggled with social skills and communication, outgoing and confident and having fun.”
A mother of two children, Nickole and her husband have also served as mother to foster children. She volunteers for a long list of community and school programs, and mentors at adoption workshops, helping others become parents.
Congratulations, Nickole Lyon, BP Teacher of Excellence.

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James Knoebel | 2016 BP Teacher of Excellence

James Knoebel – Soldotna High School
2016 BP Teacher of Excellence

“Every day I am inspired by the students I work with,” said James Knoebel. “Their persistence, resilience, and steadfastness to overcome barriers push me to be a better educator and person. I am appreciative of my team members at SoHi that support me as I promote inclusive and dynamic learning environments. I love what I do, and look forward to continuing to foster an atmosphere within our school that promotes self-determination and an appreciation for the whole person.”

“This year’s nominees were again, an excellent representation of our staff as a whole,” said Sean Dusek, superintendent. “They are humble, hard-working and student-centered. I was particularly impressed with how all of the finalists have gone the extra mile for their students and make sure every student they work with know that they are loved.”

James teaches special education at Soldotna High School. He graduated magna cum laude in vocational rehabilitation from University of Wisconsin and achieved his Master of Education in Special Education from University of Alaska Southeast. He has been a teacher for nine years, all in Alaska.
“I don’t think there’s a branch of education that calls for more compassion, patience and a refusal to give up than special education. These are children who have difficulty in class and will have difficulty in life later on. Their experience in school sets the groundwork for how they will deal with life’s challenges, most of which require some form of learning. Many of these kids have been told for years they will never be able to graduate high school. It’s critical for them to learn how to learn. But even more, it’s critical for them to learn to believe in themselves.”
James’ students come to him not only with academic challenges, but also behavioral, social and mental-health issues. He is inclusive in the way he teaches, developing meaningful relationships with each child, working to steer them to general education classes for more-typical students and lighting within them the belief that they can overcome difficult things.
One nominator writes: “He is the most inclusive teacher I have come into contact with in over 20 years of working as an administrator and special education coordinator.”James achieves a notably high graduation rate with kids who might otherwise drop out of school by helping them become independent. He inspires them to become problem-solvers. Mr. Knoebel’s innovative approach to teaching has not only been recognized locally by students, parents, co-workers and administrators, but also by special education professionals from the state, who have visited his classroom to observe his exceptional work.
As the department chair, he assists other teachers in the Intensive Needs program. He also takes on coaching position for girls’ softball. James has been a staunch advocate for students with disabilities throughout the school and, by his example, has succeeded in changing the culture of acceptance in perhaps the most difficult group of all–teenagers. In his classroom, children learn they can complete school assignments, conquer emotions and navigate complex, often frightening social situations.
But James’ favorite time of year is graduation night. He says, “I get to sit in the audience and watch students I’ve worked with for years, sometimes five or six years, walk across that stage and shake the principal’s hand and hold up their diploma.” Our goal in this life as teachers is to inspire young people to believe they can do it, whatever their own personal “it” is. James achieves that goal every year on graduation night–against odds the rest of us simply don’t have to face.
Congratulations, James Knoebel, BP Teacher of Excellence.

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