NEWSPAPERS IN SCHOOL ARE TIMELY INVESTMENT

Each time we pick up the newspaper, we learn a little bit more about life. Some of these lessons are unpleasant, when the news is filled with death and destruction. But many other times, the news is filled with exhilarating stories of courage, determination and success.

Day by day, week by week, year after year, newspapers compile a history book of our lives. Through Newspaper in Education, (N.I.E.), this daily history book has become an important teaching tool for nearly 2,500 area students. The Southeast Missourian celebrates Newspaper in Education Week with a tribute to the teachers and students who have made our local program a booming success.

The 200 participating teachers have found innovative ways to challenge students - using newspapers to teach lessons in geography, vocabulary, history, spelling, math, current events, social studies, and of course, reading. Students kept current on the gulf war, and learned how worldwide events shape our lives at home.

Frankly, we have been rather overwhelmed by the response. Last August, N.I.E. coordinator Kim McDowell had hoped for 30 or 40 teachers to join in the program. Today, the newspapers, along with helpful study hints, are delivered five days a week to students at public schools in Cape, Benton, Meadow Heights, Delta, Advance, Perryville, Oak Ridge, Jackson as well the following parochial schools: St. Mary's, St. Vincent's, Notre Dame, Trinity Lutheran and St. Paul Lutheran.

Newspapers are used from the early grades up through adult basic education instruction. Not only does N.I.E. help introduce young people to how a newspaper is organized, a skill that will be important to them throughout their life, but it adds worthwhile variety to the regular school reading. In short, it can make studying purposeful and fun.

Since last August, the cost of the program has been borne solely by the newspaper - about $120,000. But now, area businesses are joining the N.I.E. team, so that the program can continue and perhaps expand next year. Already, St. Francis Medical Center, Boatmen's Bank, Venture and the Caring Foundation have joined as sponsors, and we're hoping the list will grow.

A worry in today's television-oriented society, is that reading will fall by the wayside. We're doing our best to see that doesn't happen. Programs such as N.I.E. reinforce the importance of life-time reading skills.

N.I.E. represents a partnership of business and education. Our schools can't do the job alone, and strong community support remains essential to ensure educational quality.

Perhaps the most gratifying part of the program has been the letters from teachers and students - such as this thank you note from Jane Boren, a third-grade teacher in Jackson:

"We feel fortunate to be receiving classroom copies of the Southeast Missourian. My students' confidence in their ability to be literate in the `real' world is unbounded. They enthusiastically attack new words and grapple with big ideas!"

That's what Newspaper In Education is all about: Helping young people learn how to thrive in the "real" world. N.I.E. is a timely investment with real reader appeal.