TEACHER'S CORNER: TEACHER HELPS STUDENTS USE KEYS TO LEARN

DELTA -- Martha Mangels views herself more as a go-between rather than the main person when it comes to education.

The business teacher and technology coordinator at Delta High School said students are the ones with the keys to the answers, and her job is to teach them how to use those keys to unlock the doors to learning.

"I work to provide the resources for students to learn by writing grants, creating real world projects for them to complete, maintaining a classroom atmosphere conducive to learning, and making myself available to assist students in the learning process," said Mangels, who has taught four years.

"I do not pretend to have all the answers," she said. "Rather, I encourage students to follow the same path in school they will have to follow the rest of their lives; that is, to be lifetime learners. They need to question and then proceed to find the answers."

Mangels formerly worked in the business sector nearly 20 years before becoming a teacher. It was then she learned a valuable lesson she tries to instill in each of her students.

"Very early in my career, one of my managers told me not to come into his office with a problem unless I also had a solution," she said. "I try to instill that mentality in my students by telling them they have to question, think, analyze and research to be successful."

Despite her absence from the field, Mangels always wanted to teach. "I really believe those years in the business community helped prepare me for the business classroom every bit as much as those college courses," she said.

Mangels and her husband, Verlin, have three children. She enjoys reading and trying new software on her computer. She is a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Southeast Missouri Business Education Association, Missouri Business Education Association, Missouri Vocational Association and the National Business Education Association.