Joel Truesdell Honolulu, HI | 7-12, Science, 2002

Joel Truesdell was a high school chemistry teacher with Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu and Kea`au from 1987–2021. He was awarded the PAEMST award for secondary science in 2002. In 2021-2022, Joel served as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator as a Senior Policy Advisor with the U.S. Geological Survey, developing a summer camp for the Department of the Interior. Joel earned a B.S. in chemistry (1978) and an M.S. in organic chemistry (1981) from the University of Miami. After teaching chemistry and conducting research at the University of Hawai‘i, Joel became a high school teacher in 1987 to better address the educational needs of students and because of his love for working with teenagers. His teaching philosophy is that all education should be centered around the students. The method used in his classroom is that of his Tuscarora elder, Dorothy Crouse, which employs foundation building, inquiry, and project-based learning in a multidisciplinary approach. Joel has delivered numerous presentations and workshops on constructing a healing classroom at conferences such as the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), the College Board’s Native American Student Advocacy Institute (NASAI), the National Indian Education Association, and the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education. Joel has served on national committees for NSTA, as well as being a Co-chair for NASAI’s Conference. Student success achieved by Joel’s curriculum and his work with other educators to expand culture- and place-based educational experiences paved the way for him to receive NSTA’s Shell Teaching Award in 2017, as well as being inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in 2024.

• High-resolution version of the teacher profile photograph

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