TEACHER'S CORNER: HELEN PAYNE TEACHES SCIENCE AT ST. MARY CATHEDRAL SCHOOL HERE

Helen Payne's students don't often know what to expect when they enter her science class at St. Mary Cathedral School in Cape Girardeau.

"We design our own experiments without using a textbook," Payne said. "This really throws them.

"They like the security of following step-by-step instructions instead of writing the instructions themselves."

She teaches fourth, fifth and eighth grade science and computer classes.

Payne is a graduate of St. Genevieve High School and Southeast Missouri State University where she received a degree in biology.

She taught junior high science at Chaffee for two years and high school science at Fayette for three years before teaching at St. Mary's for the last 12 years.

Payne uses hands-on activities.

"When I come in the room and say it's time for lab, many classes clap," she said.

"The younger students don't think science is a real class. They think it's just for fun. We do many things that they think up themselves.

"We do many labs using microscopes and other equipment which really motivates the students.

"Occasionally one will see something and yell because it is so magnified. The biggest problem I have is noise level. When they get excited, they get loud. I'm glad our principal understands this."

One electricity lab turned out louder than desired.

"We set up a series circuit with bells," she said. "The teacher next door dismissed her class 15 minutes early thinking the bell had just rung."

Payne's students do projects in which they grow vegetables or flowers from seeds.

"A senior told me she still has her flower from fifth grade," she said.

"We did a leaf collection in the fourth grade, and one student's father picked poison ivy for his daughter's collection. He was miserable for quite some time. We also had a student bring in a marijuana leaf."

One challenge for Payne one year was teaching kindergarten art.

"They couldn't cut, color or paste, and one little boy ate all the blue crayons," she said.

"They would draw on the walls and furniture and eat the paste. I decided that I could only teach people who could already zip their pants and tie their shoes."

Payne is married to J. Michael Payne, an attorney. They have two children, Tara, 16, a junior at Notre Dame High School and Matthew, 14, a freshman at Cape Girardeau Central High School.

Her interests include traveling, watching her children participate in athletic activities and spending time with relatives.

Payne started the volleyball program at St. Mary's School and coached for eight years. She is the varsity volleyball coach at Notre Dame High School.