STUDENTS LEAVE IMPACT ON HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER

High school students can leave an impact on their teachers, sometimes more than teachers expect, says Jerry Dement, physical education teacher at Cape Girardeau Central High School.

Dement recalls a day when he was walking through a school cafeteria. "A young lady leaving the choir room slammed a door open and the door hit me right between the eyes and knocked me colder than a fish in front of a crowded lunchroom!" That's impact.

However, Dement said impact more often comes in a gentler form. "Getting to work with young people and seeing them improve and enjoy themselves" is what he finds most gratifying about his job.

Dement has been teaching 15 years. In addition to duties as physical education teacher, he is head football coach and assistant track coach at Central High.

"Working with young people helps keep you young, but at the same time provides a lot of highs and lows," he said.

"Because P.E. involves a lot of interpersonal contact, I get to be more involved than most classroom settings. I try to know something about my students outside the school. The more you know about your students, the better you can strive to understand them. I always think positive motivation works better than negative in most situations, and I try to practice this."

Dement earned bachelor's and master's degrees in education from Southeast Missouri State University. His wife Toni teaches fifth-grade and May Greene Elementary and they have two children, Lindsay, 10, and Jami, 6.

Just as he watches after his students, his students keep an eye on him. "While driving a bus to a football game," Dement recalled, "I cut a corner too close and knocked down some road signs. The team let me know real quick their opinion of my driving expertise."