TEACHER'S CORNER: TEACHING ISN'T A 9-TO-5 JOB FOR CHRISTIE BRUMLEVE

Teaching isn't a 9-to-5 job for Christie Brumleve. Sometimes a school day lasts 18 hours.

Brumleve, who teaches social studies at St. Ambrose Catholic School in Chaffee, took students in grades five through eight on a field trip to Jefferson City.

"We left school at 5 in the morning and got back to school around 11 at night," Brumleve said. The long day was worth it, she said. Students had a chance to tour the State Capitol, see the legislature in session and tour the state penitentiary.

"It was a long but wonderful experience for all of us," she said.

Brumleve said she became a teacher because her grandfather, Charles Thomas, passed on to her a love of history. "I wanted to pass this love and interest on to others, and felt I could best do this as a teacher," she said.

One project that helps instill appreciation for the past is History Day at Southeast Missouri State University. Students work on projects and performances in class and after school.

Fifth- and sixth-graders each year hold a Thanksgiving fruit feast for kindergarten students. "They bring in all kinds of different fruits and enjoy getting to try all of them," Brumleve explained.

She teaches children from grades four through eight. "Students this age go through a lot of physical and emotional changes," she said. "It is interesting to watch them turn into young adults."

Brumleve also teaches science, religion and English. She graduated from Cobden High School in Cobden, Ill., and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. She is working on a master's degree in history from Southeast.

In her spare time she likes to read history books, especially books about presidents.