TEACHER'S CORNER: MEET IDA JEAN SCOTT OF ADVANCE ELEMENTARY

Teaching first grade students at Advance Elementary School starts a process that Ida Jean Scott enjoys very much.

"I have had the privilege of watching `my students' go through school and participate in sports, band, drama and excel in academics," Scott said.

"I'm proud of their achievements and cheer them all the way."

Scott has taught at Advance for 22 years, three years in kindergarten and the rest in first grade. Before that she taught for seven years in St. Louis County.

A 1959 graduate of Advance High School, Scott received degrees in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University, a bachelor's in 1962 and a master's in 1981.

A cadet teaching program was initiated at Advance.

"I had the pleasure of having two of my previous first graders as helpers their senior year in high school," Scott said. "I've even had a couple of first graders who were children of previous students.

"My class corresponded with several of my former students while they served in the Persian Gulf. I was proud to once again touch the lives of these special young people who were serving our country."

Scott says she uses a whole-language approach to teaching which incorporates reading with writing.

"I emphasize learning through hands-on experiences," she said.

"I try to create a cheerful and relaxed setting where learning is fun. I also try to reinforce a child's feelings of success and strengthen their self-image."

Scott remembers one day when she looked in her storage closet and found shredded paper everywhere. Suspecting mice, she cautiously checked the cabinet.

"Huddled in a corner was a little hamster," she said. "This was the second grade's classroom pet that had been missing for several weeks.

"I sent one of my students to tell the teacher about it, and she and a student came to get the frightened animal."

Scott has an older daughter, Tracy, and an older son, John.

In her spare time, she enjoys walking, biking and reading, especially historical novels. She is pianist at Advance United Methodist Church.