TEACHER FEATURE: COMPUTER PROGRAMS AID STUDENTS' LANGUAGE SKILLS

When students at Washington Elementary School in Cape Girardeau enter the computer lab, teacher Tracy Fetterhoff leads them on an adventure through ice, snow and spelling words.

Fetterhoff uses computer programs like "Spelling Blizzard" to reinforce language and reading skills in her classroom.

"Using the technology of computers to learn is exciting for them," Fetterhoff said of her students. "Already this year, I have seen the excitement with students who discover things for themselves using the computer."

First through sixth-grade classes use the computer lab to hone their basic reading skills. The programs teach phonics, grammar, punctuation, spelling and reading.

"Spelling Blizzard" leads the students on a trek through snow and ice and other dangers but lets them spell words while working their way through the map.

With computers, students get an immediate response to their questions. "The children are just delightful in the early grades when discovering something new. Their eyes light up and they get a grin on their face. Seeing a child's enthusiasm for something they are learning is one of the most gratifying things about teaching."

Fetterhoff is a new teacher in the Cape Girardeau School District but not a stranger to the area.

She was born here while her father attended Southeast Missouri State University. Fetterhoff was raised in the Festus area and returned to Cape Girardeau to earn a degree in elementary education at Southeast Missouri State University. She taught third and fourth grades at the Crystal City Elementary School for four years before moving back to Cape Girardeau.

"I believe that this time I'm here to stay," she said.

She and Scott Fetterhoff are married and live in Jackson.