TEACHER'S CORNER: MARGE KING ENJOYS TEACHING FIFTH, SIXTH GRADES AT ST. DENIS

The rewards of a teacher are many. Just ask Marge King who teaches at St. Denis School in Benton.

"Seeing a child's eyes light up," King said, "when he or she finally comprehends a difficult task, or having a child say `thank you' as a token of appreciation," are a few of the rewards.

"Or, receiving a note from a student that says `You're okay,' or `I love you, but don't let anyone else see this and don't you dare tell anyone.'"

King has taught the fifth and sixth grades and the language arts programs for grades three to eight at St. Denis for the last five years.

"I always dreamed of being a teacher, so it only seemed natural to pursue it as a career," she said.

King received a bachelor degree in education in 1962 and started teaching in Cleveland, Ohio. She also taught in Illinois and Indiana before coming to Missouri in 1984.

Students use computers in the classroom for book reports.

"They read books from a posted list," King said, "and then take a 10-question quiz which is recorded. The computer is also used to reinforce the language skills program."

The class project is collecting one million tabs from aluminum cans.

"The project began five years ago during an `I Wonder' question in math," King said.

"Each class eagerly continues the project. We have already counted 710,000 tabs and are hoping to reach a million by 1994. That is when the first class will graduate from high school.

"The sixth graders make posters each year and put them around Benton to remind people to continue to save the tabs. Friends and relatives of the students are also very helpful."

In her spare time, King enjoys reading, playing cards and being with friends. She and her husband, Richard, have three children; Rick, Rod and Melissa. Their favorite pastime is boating and water skiing.