CAROL REIMANN IS TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Every successful person, whether it be someone who has achieved fame or someone who has managed to avoid the pitfalls of life, can point to at least one teacher who made a difference. There are thousands of good teachers across the nation. And, out of the hundreds of Missouri teachers who take their work seriously and enjoy it at the same time, one from Cape Girardeau has been selected as this year's Teacher of the Year.

What an honor for Carol Reimann, who has taught first grace for 29 years, first at May Greene Elementary School and, for the past 15 years, at Clippard Elementary School.

Reimann, who is know for the sparkling clothes and jewelry she wears to match both her enthusiasm and her attitude about teaching, is clearly a good choice. Her teaching colleagues have nothing but highest praise, as do the administrators she works with.

As Teacher of the Year, Reimann will represent the state in a number of official capacities. In addition, she is now a candidate for National Teacher of the Year.

Winning accolades for her devotion to teaching is nothing new for Reimann. She was named Missouri Young Educator of the Year in 1974 by the Jaycees. And in 1994 she received one of the first Educator of the Year awards presented by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce.

One reason Reimann has been so successful in her teaching career has been her common-sense approach. Her principal, Stan Seiler, said, "That's what makes her such a wonderful teacher. She has one foot firmly planted."

Thanks to teachers like Reimann, parents can have confidence that many students are receiving first-rate educations, despite all the turmoil these days about the quality of American schooling and all the arguments about teaching standards and national testing. In the end, it is up to the classroom teacher to make a difference. And Reimann has kept her end of the bargain.

Surely highest accolade any teacher could get would be comparable to these words from sixth grader Erica McDowell, who had Reimann in the first grade: "I learned how to read in her class. Now I want to become a teacher, and the reason I want to become a teacher is because of Mrs. Reimann."

Inscribe that on a plaque.