TEACHER'S CORNER: TEACHER CONDUCTS CLASS FULL OF SURPRISES

Second-year teacher Becky Stein relies on the element of surprise to keep her third-grade class at Franklin Elementary School awake and attentive. Third grade requires a lot of reading, she said, and the surprise element helps to keep young minds focused.

"I keep a bucket with all of the students' names in it," said Stein, who was married on Aug. 2. "I choose who reads by drawing names. If the next reader doesn't know where we are, he will not get to read at all. Not only does this help them stay focused, it helps to make sure everyone gets a turn."

Stein said her students also use the element of surprise to their advantage. Elementary students are constantly doing and saying the most surprising, funny and insightful things. Sometimes they catch teachers off guard, and it takes every bit of self-control not to laugh.

For example, one day she noticed a student playing with a piece of paper while she was at the chalkboard teaching math word problems to the class. She told the student to sit on his hands and answer the next problem. He never answered the problem, so she turned around to see what caused the delay.

"He was blowing with all his might on that same piece of paper," she laughed. "He hadn't disobeyed me though -- he was still sitting on his hands."

Stein became a teacher because she wanted to continue a legacy passed onto her by former teachers. "They, along with my parents, instilled in me the knowledge and courage to know that I could do or be anything I wanted," she said. "I hope to pass on that legacy to my students. There's no light brighter than the one that enters a child's eyes when they finally 'get' something."