TEACHER'S CORNER: NANCY MCGREW ENJOYS TEACHING AT CHAFFEE ELEMENTARY

As a teacher, Nancy McGrew likes working with children.

"They are so honest about their feelings and are not afraid to show emotion," she said.

McGrew teaches reading at Chaffee Elementary School to children in kindergarten through third grade. For the last 23 years, she has been a Chapter I reading teacher and coordinator at Chaffee.

She received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Southeast Missouri State University with majors in elementary education, elementary counseling and reading.

"It is a unique experience to introduce a child to the world of books," she said, "and to see his excitement as he discovers the power of reading."

McGrew also works with the child's family through the parent resource library which is open one evening a week.

"I enjoy the opportunity to become better acquainted with the family and to help the parents begin to take an active part in the education of their children," she said.

During the last two years, McGrew has conducted workshops in St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia, Springfield, Lake of the Ozarks and Cape Girardeau on parent involvement activities.

"It is very rewarding to hear from other teachers who have begun similar activities to involve the family with the school," she said.

McGrew was part of the first group of teachers in Missouri to initiate the Reading Recovery Program which is designed for first grade students. She is in a year-long training program in Reading Recovery at Southeast Missouri State University.

McGrew lives in Cape Girardeau with her husband, Ed, who is the counselor at Chaffee High School. They have three children; a daughter, Kelle, 17, and two sons, Jeremy, 13, and Joshua, 10.

Her interests include working in her flower gardens and traveling. She also is helping to organize and teach adult literacy classes in Chaffee.