TEACHER'S CORNER: DAY CARE WORK LEADS WOMAN INTO TEACHING

Saundra Renee Hasenkamp discovered that she had an interest in teaching children while working in day care.

She teaches third and fourth grades at Guardian Angel School in Oran.

"I was out of high school four years before I decided to attend college," Hasenkamp said.

"During this time, I worked in day care and spent a lot of time reading about children. I enjoyed finding and creating learning activities and materials from which they would both learn and enjoy."

After about two years in day care, she entered another line of work; however, she missed the children, and so she decided to become a teacher.

Hasenkamp received a bachelor's degree in education from Southeast Missouri State University with a specialization in reading.

"As an educator, I feel that it is important to be willing to learn and to try different techniques," she said.

"The three modes of learning are visual, auditory and kinesthesia. I tend to be a visual learner, so I use the chalkboard a great deal.

"So do my students. This allows me to see them at work."

Hasenkamp spends a great deal of time trying to find different ways to teach a subject.

"I will use spelling as an example," she said.

"One day we may do `Bingo Spelling.' The students fill in the bingo squares with the week's spelling words. Those who bingo must spell the words for me. If the words are spelled correctly, they win.

"We also write our words on the board, play team spelling and unscramble the spelling words. Variety keeps learning interesting."

The most gratifying thing about teaching "is a child who has been working hard or having trouble, and they finally succeed," she said.

"The one question I keep asking myself is, `How can I be a better teacher?' I feel when I quit asking myself this question, it will be time to quit teaching."

Hasenkamp is single and lives in Benton. In her spare time she enjoys reading, needlework and growing flowers inside and outside her home.