"We spent a lot of time having structured conversations and some unstructured conversations with our community, our parents, our teachers and our students,'' said Freeman, who was selected as Alabama's 2009 Superintendent of the Year.

That spirit of openness, which extends to a weekly online newsletter and a superintendent's blog, is one of the many ingredients that factored into Freeman being named in October 2008 as the state superintendent of the year by the School Superintendents of Alabama (SSA). Freeman, who earned a doctorate in early childhood education from Auburn after receiving a master's degree in elementary education, discussed the value of her Auburn education and the unique challenges of her job during a recent interview.

Q: Your tenure as superintendent has been quite eventful. What has been the biggest challenge you've faced so far?

A: "Probably the biggest challenge is navigating change. We really worked hard when I first came to Trussville to gather the community's voice. We wanted their voice in their schools. We had this great opportunity with it becoming a new school system to talk about hopes and dreams and expectation with student learning. We sat on people's back porches and around their swimming pools and in their living rooms. I shared my thoughts and then in turn opened it up to parents, senior citizens, teachers, administrators.''

Q: You seem to embrace new technology. How has your superintendent's blog been received?

A: "It has been really positive. We realized we needed to do a better job of explaining classroom practices and what good learning looks like. We survey our parents a lot, twice a year now. We want everybody to be connected and feel ownership of their school.

Q: You have two degrees from Auburn's College of Education. What do you value most about your experience at Auburn and how did it prepare you for your job?

A: "Two things specifically stand out, and that is really going deeper in my own learning and understanding of how children learn and understanding depth versus surface knowledge. I had numerous opportunities with really great people, with professors and students, to talk about ideas. There was a real push and feel for how we can make things better for children in public schools. That's where I was really exposed to bigger, grander ideas and was really inspired to make things better for children in public education. When I started my master's program, I was a beginning teacher. I had Janet Taylor, who was one of my main professors, and Paula Short, a major professor for me in educational leadership. I'm still very fond of (some of the readings). The seed of continuous improvement was planted there.''

Q: What advice would you give to current College of Education students who aspire to careers in education administration?

A: "I would say, at every level of education, be a continuous learner. There is never an end to our learning and many a use for what you've learned. If you are constantly learning and improving at your craft and going deeper in your own understanding, you can achieve your goals. You have to be brave too. You sometimes have to have hard conversations about how we can make things better for students while also looking at what doesn't work. Always have the obligation to do what is best for students.''