TEACHER'S CORNER: TEACHER ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO BECOME 'GUARDIAN ANGELS'

BENTON -- St. Denis School teacher Karen Spence likens her job to that of a guardian angel. Spence, in her second year of teaching, said she wants her students to benefit from her special care and learn to help take care of others.

"I try to stress to the students that others appreciate them when they go out of their way to help," she said. "When a student does this, that person is allowed to put his or her name in the kindness jar, and every other week I draw names for rewards."

Spence teaches fifth- and sixth-graders. She also is the science teacher for seventh- and eighth-graders. She said she began studying education to follow in her late mother's footsteps, but knew it was the right career choice after a Block II student teaching experience.

"I was teaching a reading lesson about comparing and contrasting for sixth grade," she said. "I was using a Venn diagram to compare United States folk tales with a folk tale from a different country. One particular student who had a learning disability was able to fill out the diagram on his own. Knowing that I had reached him and helped him to success in this one lesson let me know I wanted to teach."

Spence also works at Sylvan Learning Center and is engaged to be married. Her own special guardian angels include three brothers, one sister, one step-sister and two golden retrievers.