TEACHER'S CORNER: THOMPSON BECAME TEACHER TO SOLVE PROBLEMS

MARBLE HILL -- John Thompson likes to solve problems. That's why he became a teacher.

"I decided to go back to school to become a teacher because I was alarmed at the great number of teen-agers that showed a lack of problem-solving skills," said Thompson, a science teacher at Woodland High School for the past three years. "I also was amazed to see how many of them refused to take responsibility for their own actions."

Thompson, a business-minded person, set four goals for himself when he became a teacher. His priority is to "teach as many of my students as possible the skills needed to solve both simple and complex problems," but he doesn't stop there. He also aims to teach students responsibility, give them better knowledge of their world and share his enthusiasm for science.

"Students need to realize science is not just a bunch of boring facts and worksheets, but instead a way to investigate relationships between cause and effect," he said. "Science should be viewed as a verb. Sure facts must be studied, but they should also be investigated."

Thompson uses a variety of projects to engage his students. Sidewalk art is a good way to learn more about the solar system, and building working models of volcanoes or hot air balloons can help students understand a variety of concepts, he said.

The ultimate goal for every teacher is to reach every student, said Thompson. Sometimes, more effort is needed to find out exactly what students are good at, but the time is well worth it if the student becomes successful because a teacher took extra time.

"With some students you are never able to make the connection that will allow you to motivate them to use their gifts to their own academic benefit," he said. "However, when your probing is successful and you can help the student determine the thing they are good at doing, then you can take pleasure in having been a part of that."