TEACHER'S CORNER: BETTY OURTH, TEACHES SIXTH GRADERS AT IMMACULATE CONCEPTION IN JACKSON

JACKSON - Bonnie Ourth believes that teaching is an important career.

"Without teachers," Ourth explained, "there would be no doctors, lawyers, nurses, engineers, etc."

Ourth teaches sixth grade at Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Jackson. She has taught there for 13 years, but the road she took to get there began as a part-time career.

She received a bachelor of science degree in vocational home economics from Southeast Missouri State University.

"I didn't want to work full time because my children were so young," she said. "So after I got my degree, I decided to substitute teach until they were both in school.

"I substituted for five years in public schools in almost every grade and a wide variety of subjects. I discovered that I enjoyed the upper elementary and junior high grades the most."

She explained, "I preferred a mixture of boys and girls, rather than girls only as I found in teaching home economics.

"I began teaching sixth grade and going to school to work for my elementary certificate."

Ourth believes that the greatest challenge in education is keeping the students interested in learning.

"You have to help them gain confidence in themselves to try," Ourth said.

"If a child has a positive self-image, it is a major factor in how well he or she will do in school. They will have very few discipline problems if they are interested and also have a positive self-image."

Ourth lives with her husband, Herbert, who is employed at Procter and Gamble.

They have two daughters, Debbie Green, who works at Boatmen's Bank, and Mary Ourth, a third year college student majoring in elementary education.

Ourth likes being outdoors, boating at Lake Wappapello and working with animals. She has three dogs and a cat.