TEACHER FEATURE: TEACHER HELPS PERSUADE STUDENTS TO LIKE SOCIAL STUDIES

Marilyn Harrison's job is sometimes difficult because she has to persuade her students to like school.

"Since I teach both sections of fourth-grade social studies, my goal is to convince my students that social studies will be their favorite subject for the year," Harrison said.

She teaches at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Cape Girardeau.

Harrison starts the year with a unit on Missouri that covers geography and history as well as famous Missourians. Then the students learn about the history of Cape Girardeau.

"They are amazed that we live in such an interesting state," she said. The students visit historical markers in Cape Girardeau and tour the Glenn House.

"By the time we finish this unit and go to our textbook to tackle latitude and longitude, they are convinced that social studies is a subject that is a real `hands-on' experience," Harrison said. "It's full of surprises and I have eager students who want to know `What's next.'"

Harrison likes to keep her students interested so they do all sorts of projects in the classroom. It might be sampling orange marmalade while reading "Paddington Bear" or taking a Macarena break to keep the energy flowing during our long morning, she said.

Despite all the fun, there are some good lessons to be learned in the classroom. "I think fourth grade is an important year for learning organizational skills," Harrison said. Students use a homework folder to keep their papers from getting lost.

"At first they don't believe me that it really is a magic folder, but they soon see that homework is not hard to find when it's all in one place," she said. Students earn candy and other prizes for keeping their papers.

Harrison began teaching so that she could make a difference in a child's life. "Our young people are the future and I feel it is a privilege to have a hand in creating tomorrow," she said.

Harrison has been teaching for 12 years, but has only been teaching fourth grade for seven years. She is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University.