TEACHER'S CORNER: WHEN COACHING FOOTBALL, BEWARE OF TREES

When teaching football, beware of trees, advises physical education teacher Dayna Miles Powell.

Powell, who teaches at Franklin Elementary School, said she learned her lesson last year.

"During our football unit, a student was practicing punting when, as she punted, her shoe came off and became perched on a high limb in one of our trees," Powell said. "Try as we could, we were unable to retrieve the shoe and had to get administrative assistance."

It was embarrassing at the time, but Powell says she has filed the experience among her favorite memories.

A sense of humor is essential to good teaching, Powell said. "When students are having fun, learning is easier."

As a physical education teacher, Powell said she has an edge in the fun category.

"Several things happen in our gym classes that don't happen in the classroom. The students get to move around more, stretch and get their heart rates up as they develop their sport skills," she said. "For most students, physical education class is a fun time that they look forward to and enjoy."

Powell decided to become a teacher after helping her mother teach swimming lessons in Kennett. "I saw how much her students learned from her understanding and patient personality and how much they adored her," she said. "After seeing this over the years, I knew I would enjoy helping children learn also."

In addition to her position at Franklin School, Powell is the varsity swimming and diving coach and assistant cross-country coach.

"In my position, it is gratifying to see a child conquer a skill he or she has been working on, seeing the faces on an entire class light up when I come to pick them up for gym, and when students and athletes go on to be successful and then return to attribute something I said or did that in some way helped them to succeed."

She and her husband, Vince, have no children but own one big dog. She enjoys biking, waterskiing, jet skiing, traveling and teaching swimming. She is a volunteer for Girl Scouts and the American Red Cross.