TEACHER'S CORNER: KELLIE PHILLIPS TEACHES AT SCHULTZ SCHOOL IN CAPE

Kellie Phillips would probably not wish her first year of teaching science at L.J. Schultz School to be quite as exciting as one experience she had while teaching at Steelville.

"A 10-foot black king snake got loose in my classroom full of 45 sixth-grade boys," Phillips said.

"The boys screamed and jumped on top of their desks until the snake was finally caught 10 minutes later."

After teaching for two years at Steelville, Phillips is now closer to home. She is a graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School and Southeast Missouri State University.

"I became a teacher because I love working with children," she said.

"The best part of my job is when the children learn something that is difficult."

One of the things she uses in her classroom is a Windows on Science laser disc.

"I use it to motivate and provide visuals for my students," she said.

Phillips has a discipline plan in which her students can actively participate.

Each class at the school has a jar in her room that she fills with jelly beans when appropriate behavior is displayed.

"If no rules are broken," Phillips said, "then jelly beans are added to the class jar. When the jar is full, the class earns a `game day.'

"Some classes will earn a game day faster than others will, according to their behavior."

Also, jelly beans can be added for academic reasons. For example, the best class average on a test will earn 15 jelly beans for their jar.

She is married to Mark Phillips who is an engineer for the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department in Sikeston. They have a daughter, Morganne, who is one year old.

In her spare time, Phillips enjoys reading and collecting antiques.