TEACHER'S CORNER: GATTIS USES HUMOR, IMAGINATION IN CLASS

Jefferson Elementary School teacher Debbie Gattis' fifth grade students often need a little imagination.

Gattis, who has 12 years teaching experience, is an admittedly poor artist. This causes "many humorous experiences" when she tries to illustrate a lesson at the chalkboard.

"I usually end up telling the class to imagine the picture is a boat, store, beach, or whatever," said Gattis.

She said she enjoys having students work on group projects and creative projects, especially in social studies. Students retain more when a learning experience is fun, she said, so teachers have to work to keep classes lively.

"The best part of my job comes at the end of the year," she said. "That's when I look at each student and see how far they've come over the course of the year."

Gattis has also taught first and second grade classes and earned a degree in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University. She is married to Lee Gattis, assistant principal at Central Junior High, and enjoys gardening, camping and home improvement.