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Behind the Scenes at MHS: Teachers instill desire to learn

By JESSICA BERNHARDT

MHS student reporter

Teachers at Marion High School want their students to learn. They work hard to make sure their students do the best they can. Two teachers who dedicate their time to make sure students are learning are Janet Killough and Bruce Rhodes.

Killough has been teaching for the past 33 years, 25 of which have been at Marion High School. The other eight were at Sylvan Grove. Her classes at MHS include sophomore and junior English, forensics, and creative writing. She also directs the annual musicals and plays.

Killough was born and raised in Marion and has been married to Chris for the past seven years. The couple has a blended family that includes children, Danielle, Gabrielle, and Nicholle, Shave, Ryan, Savannah, and Jordan Timm. They also have four grandchildren, Berlyn, Mason, Gannon, and Lawson.

In her free time, Killough enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, theater, reading, and constantly decorating her house.

Killough is a graduate of Marion High School and graduated in 1971 from Emporia State University with a teaching degree in secondary English. Since then, she has been continually updating her education and now has a minor in theater, journalism, and library science.

Killough remembers two teachers who influenced her to become one herself. Her first grade teacher taught her to love reading and when she got into high school, she had such an awful teacher that "I wanted to become a better teacher than he was," she said.

"Every child can learn. The teacher does not provide the ability for them to learn," Killough said when asked if children were born with the ability to learn. "Sometimes you come across a student with the same interest and the same love as you so it's easy to motivate that student," she added. She also believes that every student wants to learn, it's just more difficult for some.

When asked what Killough looks for to evaluate if learning takes place in her classroom, she said that it is different with each class and each student. "Sometimes you see a spark in their eyes and sometimes they ask questions," she said. Class discussion is a great way to get students involved and evaluate if they're learning. There also are the old standards that Killough goes by such as writing and discussion. "When students are eager to come to my classroom, I must be doing something right," Killough said.

The most difficult aspect of teaching today is "paperwork that has nothing to do with teaching," she said. Also, reaching every student is a challenge, which makes it difficult. "It's a challenge to get kids motivated without keeping them entertained."

To keep students interested in her class, Killough uses humor and enthusiasm. She tries to teach them things that are relevant to their lives.

Killough is planning to retire from Marion High School after the 2005-06 school year. She will continue to teach forensics and creative writing, and also will continue directing school musicals and plays.

Killough has many funny and embarrassing memories from her teaching experience. She says that "each day I do something that I would probably be embarrassed by if I was being taped and then watched myself." Killough has many memorable moments that will stick with her even after she is finished this year.

One that she always will remember was when she was teaching Matt Schuler. She had him in forensics and they were at a league meet when he told her that he had cancer. After his first surgery, half of Schuler's face was paralyzed. He qualified for State Champs that year and Killough entered him. He ended up competing, even with half of his face paralyzed, and he placed first in poetry.

A few goals Killough has for the next few years include improving theater productions, and having a better forensics team and creative writing program. She also wishes to spend more time with her family.

Another teacher who hopes to inspire his students to learn is Bruce Rhodes. He has been teaching science courses, including chemistry, biology, and advanced biology at Marion High School for the past 23 years.

Rhodes was born in Smith Center and raised in Gaylord. He has been married for 24 years to Brenda, lab manager at St. Luke Hospital. They have two children — Matt, a junior at Kansas State University majoring in microbiology, and Molly, a freshman at Wichita State University majoring in nursing.

Rhodes enjoys gardening and growing plants.

Rhodes received his bachelor of science degree in 1981 from Fort Hays State University and his master's degree from Emporia State University in 1991.

Throughout most of his life, Rhodes has been in school. His father was a custodian and his mother was a part-time custodian so he feels like he grew up in school. He liked being there, so it was a natural progression for him to become a teacher.

Rhodes believes in nature-nurture when it comes to whether or not children are born with the ability to learn or whether the teachers provide it. He feels that "everyone is born with an innate ability to learn, but not all students follow up on it." This is the nature part. The nurture part comes when the teachers draw it out and help the students see the importance of learning.

A past teaching experience Rhodes remembers was when he accidentally left the gas on in the lab. The entire room smelled of gas and the students noticed it before he did. Another memory Rhodes has was when he accidentally blew the front of the "hood" off in the lab.

To evaluate if learning takes place in his classroom, Rhodes looks to see if the students apply new concepts. He looks to see if students take what is learned in one situation and apply it to another. He feels his students need to not only learn the material, but understand it as well. He said "it isn't so much memorization but whether or not the student can take with them what they learn."

"Getting through mundane stuff such as grading papers and prep work is very difficult," Rhodes said when asked what the most difficult aspect of teaching was. He feels that it's a challenge to make himself follow through with work he has to do to be able to teach.

In the science area, showing practical application to everyday life is one technique Rhodes uses to keep students interested in his class. He tries to show students that learning is a lifelong process and they will be able to witness science-related work for the rest of their lives.

Some goals Rhodes has include implementing more technology and using technology to update the science department. He also hopes to help students improve state scores in the science area and help them prepare for the science portion of the ACT. A personal goal Rhodes has is to keep learning more about science and keep up with new advancements and technology.

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