TEACHER'S CORNER: CHILDHOOD GAMES TURN INTO CAREER PATH FOR SIMMONS

SCOTT CITY -- Becky Simmons doesn't remember considering any other career options as a child. As a young girl she enjoyed attending and teaching pretend classes, and by 9 she began telling people she had selected her career path.

"Most people change their minds many times before making a career decision, but I've just always known that I would be a teacher," she said.

Simmons has come a long way since those days of pretend. She's been teaching for seven years. The smaller class sizes at St. Joseph Catholic School in Scott City allow her to be very innovative with the fifth- through eighth- graders she teaches.

"We go to St. Louis to see various plays, and my students also travel to the public school on Fridays to learn about the Internet," she said. "We work very hard, but we also are able to do many fun activities."

Simmons said seeing a student master a new skill is the most gratifying aspect of her job. Sometimes, a student's pleasure in learning can be annoying, but it also lets a teacher know they have made a difference in that child's life, she said.

For example, once a student became so engrossed in the book he was reading, he didn't hear Simmons tell the class to exchange spelling books so they could grade a lesson.

"We had exchanged, graded and passed the books back, and no one even noticed he hadn't traded his book," she said. "My first thought was to be angry, but it was too funny not to laugh."

Simmons is working towards a master's degree in elementary education. She serves as the Student Council sponsor and assistant to the principal at the school.