Businesses help students learn

To the editor:

I want to commend a few area businesses for being such good sports during an educational activity I've done with my students every few years for the last 10 years. My students take part in a unit called Community Search in which they learn to use the phone book and map to find information.

The finale of this unit is a citywide scavenger hunt. Each group, armed with only a map and phone book, must solve several riddles to find out what business they need to locate. They then must tell the driver how to get to that location. They must obtain whatever item is on the list from the appropriate places.

Over the years, business people in our community have been so overwhelmingly nice to my students as they nervously ask for various items. I'd like to thank the employees all the Cape Girardeau businesses visited by the students for making this such a fun day for my students over the years. From fresh flowers and water bottles to business cards and carpet squares, everything is given with a smile. I hear from students as they re-enter the car, "Boy! They were so nice to us!"

I appreciate everyone's generosity and kindness. See you in a few years.

LESLIE WRIGHT-ESSNER, Explore K-4 Gifted Program, Cape Girardeau School District, Cape Girardeau