In fact, Temple ended up winning not only the local and county awards, but also on the state level.
Temple received state Educator of the Year on June 8, 2006 at the Wildwood Convention Hall.
"The award is chosen based on what the teacher does for 'Americanism' with their students," Brereton said.
Temple, who attended Jersey City State College (now the New Jersey City University), as been teaching at the Wallace School for eight years, but has been teaching for 35 years total.
Temple goes out of her way to incorporate pride in America into her classes.
America in the classroom "Temple was awarded for everything she does with the children," Brereton said, "and she does a lot. Everyday, Temple has her students recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sing various patriotic songs."
Temple said, "I give a brief history on the songs and then we split up the lines of the songs to figure out what they mean."
Temple said she highlights how America was formed in her social studies class, as well as participates with her students and the American Legion in holiday parades, like Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
One of Temple's biggest accomplishments came after Sept. 11, 2001. Immediately after the tragedy occurred, Wallace School had an assembly, and the audience was dressed in red, white, and blue.
"I requested that students write to Mayor Roberts asking to have a day declared as Red, White and Blue Day," Temple said. "The children and I marched down to City Hall and met with the mayor. He proclaimed March 1, 2002 to be the first Red, White and Blue day for the city of Hoboken."
Temple's Red, White and Blue Day idea did not stop on the local level.
"This year, I received a proclamation from the governor of New Jersey, declaring March 1 as the statewide Red, White and Blue Day," Temple said.
Special hero Temple's efforts were seen in other ways also. She started a pen pal program with her fifth grade students and Hoboken residents that are serving in Iraq.
Students wrote them letters, drew pictures, and sent packages to the soldiers.
"One package arrived before Christmas, and it was filled with phone cards so that the soldiers could all call their loved ones on the holidays," Temple said.
This year, Temple's students wrote to Det. Michael DePalma of the Hoboken Police Department, who recently finished his second tour of duty in Iraq.
The students told him that he was their special hero for serving his country admirably.
Temple taught her students to feel patriotic and proud of the people serving their country in the military overseas.
"My father brought me up very patriotic, to love this country, and it stayed with me my whole life," Temple said.
"As a child, he always told me to be a teacher, that there is so much you can teach children. And Americanism is one thing he taught me to instill."
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