TEACHER'S CORNER: KELLY TEACHER STRESSES DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

Fourth-grade teacher Laura Kern is a home girl.

Kern has spent the last seven years teaching in the Kelly School District, where she also graduated from high school, and soon, she and her husband, Mike, will bring into the world another potential Kelly graduate. The Kerns are expecting their first child in March.

Kern said she has several projects and activities she thinks empowers students and teaches them about living in a community and using the democratic process. For example, this year, Kern's class created and signed a classroom constitution to help them form a community in their classroom.

Kern also makes sure each year that each of her students receives a special letter of advice from students from the previous year. All her students must write letters of advice on how to get started in Mrs. Kern's class before they leave, she said. This provides new students with a good start, she said, which is key to a successful year.

Weekly class meetings are also held to give Kern's students time to discuss class events, give compliments and help each other. "Students learn about solving problems on their own in a smart way," she said. "It also helps students communicate and learn about the democratic process."

Kern said the most gratifying part of her job was her status as a role model. "Kids know actions speak louder than words," she said, "and I like to see kids make good choices for their lives. Hopefully, I help them with this by my actions."

Kern graduated from the University of Missouri at Columbia, and she received her master's degree in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University this month.