TEACHER'S CORNER: ORAN TEACHER SAYS THERE'S NOTHING LIKE START OF NEW YEAR

ORAN -- Barbara Tyler still finds excitement in her work even after 40 years as an educator.

The Guardian Angel School fourth- and fifth-grade teacher said she gets excited at summer's end when she has to prepare her classroom and herself to greet a new group of students.

"I have always enjoyed a school environment, and after all these years it's still exciting to get that classroom ready for the first day of school," she said. "I love the smell of new books and the fun of putting up those brand-new bulletin boards."

Tyler said the one thing she has learned over the years is that curriculum and climate may change over the years, but children don't.

"Children still respond to a teacher's smile, being read to and a little classroom humor," she said. "They also like the security of knowing there is an adult who is in charge."

Tyler is a graduate of Oran High School. She received bachelor's and master's degrees in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University. In her free time she enjoys reading mystery and espionage novels and traveling.

She said she is looking forward to retirement and doesn't expect to relive her first retirement experience five years ago.

"This will really be my second retirement experience," she said. "I retired from public-school education as a principal in 1992, but I missed the classroom. That's when I joined the faculty here."