TEACHER'S CORNER: CHAFFEE TEACHER KEEPING UP WITH BUSINESS

CHAFFEE -- Jeanette Wachter knows all about the latest technology trends in business -- it's part of her job.

Wachter teaches business education courses at Chaffee High School.

"I had typing exactly 20 years ago here at Chaffee High School and I learned how to type on a manual typewriter," she said. "When I started teaching typing 14 years ago, the students learned on electric typewriters."

In the last few years, Wachter has seen word processing equipment and personal computers replace the electric typewriters.

"Many teachers in other subject areas have not had the changes and challenges that the business education field has had to keep up with," she said, adding that she often attends workshops or conferences to keep up with the changes.

Because most business classes require hands-on learning, Wachter often uses cooperative learning in the classroom. She assigns students to a group so they can learn how to operate a machine or complete an activity.

"These rapid changes in technology challenge me as a business educator to provide the type of training that our students can use in the business world," she said.

Chaffee High School students learn business skills like desktop publishing, word processing, spreadsheets and data base applications on 26 computers, which have pentium processors and CD-ROMS. The school library is connected to the Internet with plans to add a connection to the business labs next year.

"It's gratifying to know that I prepare many of my students for the occupations they choose," she said.

But teaching business classes wasn't the first choice for Wachter as she entered Southeast Missouri State University.

"My career goal was to become a high school counselor, but you are required to have classroom teaching experience," she said. "I enjoyed teaching so much that I decided to stay in this area and get my master's in business education instead of counseling."

Wachter sponsors the Future Business Leaders of America club at the school. She also is the eighth-grade class sponsor and Pep Club sponsor.

She is a member of the Missouri State Teachers Association, Chaffee CTA, the Missouri and National Business Education Associations. She is also president of the Chaffee Alumni Association and Booster's Club.

She and her husband, Scott, both graduated from Chaffee High School in 1977. They have one son, Zachary.