TEACHER'S CORNER: LOVE FOR CHILDREN DRAWS OLDEST SIBLING TO CLASSROOM

Amy Grammer's position at the top of the birth order helped her become a teacher.

As the oldest of five children, Grammer was often called upon to babysit and take care of her younger siblings and their friends. Eventually she realized she had a love for children that could be transferred to students in a classroom.

"As far as I was concerned, the more the merrier," she said about her childhood. "It was my love of children that drew me to teaching."

Grammer, a second grade teacher at Clippard Elementary School, is in her first full year of teaching. She previously taught kindergarten for one semester last year after the classroom teacher took a leave of absence.

To build writing skills and help students resolve classroom conflicts, Grammer encourages students to participate in the weekly Mailbox! activity. Each child must write at least one but no more than three letters each week to place in the classroom mailbox. Any complaint or tattle -- unless it is severe or disrupts learning -- may be placed in the mailbox, but students also are encouraged to mail compliments about their classmates.

Each week on Friday, the letters are read out loud and students talk about problems and devise solutions. They also listen to praise for other students.

"It encourages students to behave kindly and work hard when they hear compliments," Grammer said. "At the moment, this is the children's favorite activity."

Grammer said watching children experiment and develop new skills is gratifying. "I like to watch a child finally grasp a concept that may have been difficult to understand," she said. "It's also nice to watch a child develop into a kind and considerate person in all circumstances and use the skills he or she has learned to solve problems."

Grammer married on July 31 and enjoys traveling, snow skiing and camping. She and her husband host a weekly Bible study and attend Vineyard Christian Fellowship.