TEACHER'S CORNER: TEACHING IS IN FAMILY GENES FOR VICKI NENNINGER

Teaching just might be a part of Vicki Nenninger's DNA. The 1991 graduate from Southeast Missouri State University has many relatives involved in education, including her parents, who are educators at Leopold High School, and her brother, who is an academic recruiter at the university.

"When I was a senior at Leopold High School, I helped with the junior high volleyball team," Nenninger said. "Because I enjoyed that experience so much, I thought that teaching teen-agers might be a possible career."

She graduated with a bachelor of science degree in secondary education, with a double-major in math and social studies. From there she went to the Oran School District, where she has remained six years.

This year, both Nenninger and her students are using graphing calculators for the first time. She never used a scientific calculator until attending college, and said she never dreamed that a calculator could do fractions or graphs.

For fun, students recently designed a soda can that would hold the same volume as the traditional can but would minimize the surface area to minimize cost. They then discussed why the companies do not use the new can.

"I think the students are enjoying the new technology and the challenges that come with it," she said. "The basic math concepts have not changed, but how I am trying to teach them is constantly changing."

In addition to teaching six classes a day, Nenninger also coaches Oran girls volleyball teams at the high school, junior high and elementary levels. During volleyball season she generally works from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., but she said the job is rewarding, although physically and mentally exhausting.

"I knew that developing a program for the younger girls would eventually lead to a better high school team, and I have seen improvements in the last few years," she said.

Nenninger said she gets excited when a student is able to understand a concept. "There is nothing greater that a teacher can do than to give a student that feeling of success," she said. "A positive attitude and a feeling that there is a chance of success will go a long way to helping a student actually achieve that success."