TEACHER'S CORNER: NEWMAN RETURNS TO SOURCE OF INSPIRATION

Kim Newman, a sixth-grade teacher at Alma Schrader Elementary School, has always wanted to be an educator. Newman, who is in her second year as a teacher, said she owes that desire to one of her co-workers.

"I was a student at Alma Schrader," she said. "Fifth grade was the best year of my elementary years, and I owe that to my teacher, who is still teaching here. It is a great pleasure to teach with that special person who gave me the most inspiration to become a teacher."

Newman, a social studies teacher, said she finds gratification in seeing a child become successful. She looks forward to the day when her 15-station computer lab is finally complete so she can integrate multimedia into the curriculum.

"Computers are such a big part of our world, and it makes perfect sense for the children to experience them in the schools," she said.

Old television shows and movies are fun ways to inspire students to learn. When studying the various decades of this century, Newman said she has students watch the television shows to learn about the lifestyles relevant to each time period.

"What we see in a Charlie Chaplin movie, Abbott and Costello Show or other shows allow the children to compare technologies and the lifestyles," she said. "The children love it."

Newman is married to Adam Newman and is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. She enjoys gardening, reading and cross-stitching, and is currently in the master's degree program at Webster University.