[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17551-17552]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING TAMRA TIONG

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 26, 2007

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Tamra 
Tiong, a distinguished teacher who was voted the 2007 New Mexico 
Teacher of the Year, an honor bestowed by the Council of Chief State 
School Officers. She was also one of the four finalists chosen to 
receive the National Teacher of the Year award, presented at the White 
House. Tamra is the special education teacher for kindergarten through 
second grade at Dulce Elementary School on the Jicarilla Apache Indian 
Reservation in northwest New Mexico. She received her nomination and 
award for her outstanding teaching strategies, her contribution to 
professional development, and her community involvement.
  Tamra Tiong graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of 
Arts degree in English. She later received a Special Education 
Alternative License from Northern New Mexico Community College and 
graduated with a 4.0 GPA. Tamra began teaching in September of 1996 at 
Santa Clara University as an academic tutor and mentor for student 
athletes. She then taught at various places, such as Americorps 
Corporation for National Service and Hidden Villa Environmental 
Education program, before arriving at Dulce Independent Schools in 
September of 2002.
  In addition to her extensive education experience, she is a member of 
numerous professional associations, such as the Educational Kinesiology 
Foundation, Sigma Tau Delta International English Society, Alpha Sigma 
Nu National Jesuit Society, and Phi Sigma Tau International Philosophy 
Honor Society.
  Tamra always knew she would one day be involved in education and 
recalls that when she was three years old, she would sneak worksheets 
and books out of her big sister's backpack and hand them out to her 
stuffed animals. Tamra would even grade their papers with red crayon, 
drawing happy faces when they ``tried their best.'' She recognizes Mrs. 
Thoren, her fifth and sixth grade teacher, as the reason for her 
passion and devotion to education. Mrs. Thoren created a safe and 
embracing environment in which everyone enjoyed the journey of 
learning. Tamra took much of her experience from Mrs. Thoren's class 
and adapted it into her teaching methods and ideology.
  In addition to prioritizing community service as her top priority, 
inclusion is the core of Tamra's teaching philosophy. She has stated:

[[Page 17552]]

``Inclusion, to me, is not just about placement of students receiving 
special education services; it is a word that implies acceptance and 
validation of all students in a classroom, school, local and global 
community.'' Her philosophy of education, which also involves 
recognizing, valuing, and addressing the needs of students of various 
cultural, linguistic, and socio-economic backgrounds, is mirrored in 
her teaching style, ethics, and community involvement.
  Tamra listens to each student individually and addresses behavioral 
issues in an attempt to get to the root of each student's problem. She 
believes her greatest accomplishments have been small. An excellent 
example was helping an insecure kindergarten student adapt to the 
school environment by eating lunch with her every day for an entire 
year, until she was comfortable enough to enter the cafeteria alone. 
She also recalls turning a child with a significant aggression problem 
on to reading so that he is now rarely seen without a book in his hand.
  Tamra was previously exposed to the difficulties of attending school 
as a minority child, similar to the special-education students she 
teaches. Her prior experiences taught her to adapt to each situation 
separately, and upon arriving on the Jicarilla reservation, she adapted 
to the community by becoming a part of it. She lives on the 
reservation, rides her bike to school and through town, walks and runs 
in the neighborhood, and grows a vegetable garden in her front yard in 
order to share the produce with members of the community. Tamra's 
passion for her teaching and love of her community are demonstrated 
every day of her life.
  Madam Speaker, Tamra Tiong is an exceptional teacher and a deeply 
caring member of her community. I am honored to stand here today to ask 
my colleagues to join me in congratulating her for receiving the 2007 
New Mexico Teacher of the Year award and for being one of four 
finalists nationwide. I am proud to say that Tamra is a teacher in my 
Congressional district and that our children will be able to benefit 
from her passion and devotion to her students.

                          ____________________