TEACHER'S CORNER: MEET BETTY LAX OF WOODLAND HIGH SCHOOL

Betty Lax feels that she never has a dull moment while teaching business subjects to her students at Woodland High School.

"Teaching different students every hour, and with new students coming in every year, it keeps my job exciting and alive," Lax said.

"High school students are a pleasure to work with. In every class, you have a full range of people.

"At times, they can be hard to motivate, but usually when they know you care about them, and are prepared to teach them, they are excited and eager to learn."

Lax has taught at Woodland for 27 years. She received a bachelor's degree from Murray State University and has done graduate work at Murray State and also at Southeast Missouri State University.

A native of Tennessee, Lax said that she enjoyed business subjects and sports in high school.

"In school, I loved and respected my business teacher who was also my coach," she said.

"At that point in my life, I wanted to be a secretary. For two years, I worked at a Tennessee state park as a secretary."

After completing a two-year business course, she decided to continue her education and become a business teacher.

"One contributing factor in this decision was that my husband, Donald, was studying to become an industrial arts instructor," she said.

"Education trends, activities, problems and triumphs have often been the topic of conversation in our household. It is a very rewarding profession to share."

Her husband has since retired from the profession.

A teaching technique that has worked for Lax is "peer tutoring."

"It never ceases to amaze me how quickly and effectively one student can teach another," she said.

"They seem to have a way of communicating. Many times, over the years, I have seen this method succeed when the conventional method of teaching had failed."

Lax said the most gratifying part of her job is watching the freshmen boys and girls begin to develop and mature.

"The icing on the cake is when you see students become successful citizens and happy in life; or, when you receive a thank-you note from a former student saying you did make a difference in their life," she said.

She and her husband have two children, Lisa and Dwayne, and one grandson, Craig. Her interests include reading and sports.