TEACHER'S CORNER: STUDENT WHO HATED SCHOOL DECIDED TO BECOME TEACHER

Cathy Kapfer hated school, so she decided to become a teacher.

"I remember specifically, I was in the fifth-grade," she said. "One long hard day I sat there thinking to myself, `I can teach, and I think I can help kids enjoy learning.'"

The realization was remarkable, Kapfer says. When she was in first-grade, her parents were told she was mentally retarded. In second-grade she brought home a report card filled with L's, which were comparable to D's. "When my mom asked me how my report card was I told her I had 21 L's and they all meant I was lovely."

She struggled in school through her freshman year of high school, when the academic light bulb turned on.

"All of a sudden I understood what was going on," she said. "From that day forward I began to achieve academically and went on to graduate with honors."

Kapfer teaches learning disabled students at Franklin Elementary School. She has been teaching 18 years.

"I realize that my students are sitting in the same spot I was years ago," she said. "I made it against all odds, and I know in my heart many of my students will do the same. If I make a positive difference in some of my students' lives this is my gratification."

Kapfer serves as part of a diagnostic team at Franklin. Students who experience difficulty in the regular classroom are referred to the team for evaluation. If special programs are needed, Kapfer works with students in the learning center on reading, writing and math skills.

Students work in small groups on one-on-one with Kapfer and her assistant.

"We strive to focus on the skills being taught in the child's regular classroom," she said. "We also work on basic life skills such as telling time. We also encourage responsibility from our students and independence."

Last Christmas, she saw efforts pay off when four boys from a reading group chose to read chorally "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" as a holiday program. Only one of the boys was capable of reading the book. Another student's behavior was unpredictable. For at least two weeks the boys worked on the project, and up until the day of the program Kapfer was nervous about the success of the reading.

"The day before Christmas break we had the program, and I know I was not the only one who had a tearful eye as they finished the performance," Kapfer said.