The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1061312
C-10 Wednesday, December 12, 2018 The Press-Dispatch EAST GIBSON NEWS Submit school news: Email: egnews@ pressdispatch.net Deadline: Noon on Friday Beth Shuler with an interactive folder she us- es in her classroom. Kenzie Rudolph photo Third graders Joshua Lin and Gavin Ball search the Santa Shop for gifts at Barton Elementary. Kenzie Rudolph photo Third grader Carly Schooner and Mrs. Lori Elaman scan the Santa Shop for Christmas Goodies at Bar- ton Township Elementary School. Kenzie Rudolph photo Hannah Doerner, third grad- er at Barton Township Elemen- tary School, picks a perfect gift for a loved one at the school's Santa Shop. Kenzie Rudolph photo Derek Hudson and Beau Stuckey scan the Santa Shop at Barton Elementary with their third grade class. Kenzie Rudolph photo Third grade Barton Elemen- tary student Rochelle Heichel- bech picks out gifts at the Santa Shop. Kenzie Rudolph photo Beth Shuler brings alot to Home Ec. at Wood Memorial By Kenzie Rudolph Beth Shuler, from Mt. Vernon, Ind., has been teaching at Wood Memori- al for 13 years. She teach- es Child Development and Advanced Child Develop- ment, the Nutrition and Wellness Foods class, and Advanced Nutrition and Wellness. She also has high school Human De- velopment and Relation- ships, and a fairly new In- tro to Culinary Arts class. She started her education at Murray State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in what was called Home Ec. Education, now called Family and Consum- er Science. She then moved to Cin- cinnati to teach two years in Northern Kentucky be- fore moving to Lexington to start her master's de- gree at the University of Kentucky. Soon after, she moved back to Indiana to be close to her grandmother, and timing was perfect, be- cause a teaching position opened up at Henderson County High School. She was there for three years within a four-teacher home ec. department, and she was cut, as the low man on the totem pole. "That's when Wood Me- morial opened up...Hon- estly, this is the best place I have ever taught," said Shuler. She added that she loves teaching in a small- er school versus having to break up fights multi- ple times a week in Hen- derson. She also added that at Henderson, there was 130 faculty members, and she did not get to form many re- lationships with other co- workers like she has got- ten to do as a Trojan. Shuler started college studying English, then she switched to Library Science, but it did not feel right. Someone she worked with at the library told her she should check out the Home Ec. department since she always made food, volunteered with chil- dren and did crafty things, and she had an "Ah Ha" moment when finally mak- ing her way to that depart- ment. When it comes to teach- ing at a smaller school, Shuler added that there is not as much money for equipment needed to teach her classes. "That's the one downfall about teaching at a small- er school. The money is not always there. So I get cre- ative," added Shuler. She also has written grants to earn funds for equipment. She mentioned finding small things for her class- room at yard sales, like dish rags. In Shuler's Nutrition and Wellness class, she focuses on home cooking, but her Intro to Culinary Arts class is more advanced, and they focus on things related to a professional kitchen. She gets to teach kids things that they will use once they are done with school, but she added that she uses math and science still while cooking every day. She even taught her students how to use chem- istry when cooking while making Baked Alaska. Shuler said, "I still use algebra all the time when I sit down and figure out my grocery list...I use al- gebra to measure out ex- actly what I need." She added that a stu- dent she had 10 years ago recently told her that be- cause of what she learned in her classes, she cooks so much at home and she is willing to try new foods, and her Child Development class helped her with her little one at home. "I try to do a lot more hands on, and that's easy with food, but in Child De- velopment, we do interac- tive folders. You take a file folder, and on the inside, it has all kinds of informa- tion with 3-D elements that open up. They really love it," added Shuler. She has revamped her Child Development class- es this year, and she add- ed that they needed some spark. She loves the high school foods classes, but she said the seventh grade classes are a little more challeng- ing. "They are sometimes clueless in the kitchen... when they come into sev- enth grade, some have never been in the kitchen themselves other than to pour a glass of water," Shul- er added. She said that some par- ents never let their kids help cook in the kitchen, and that aggravates her. She thinks that it is also important for parents to take their kids shopping with them so that they can teach them about what things cost. She added that there is more to teach children as well. She said, "You should have your child who is even in a high chair at the table, teaching them manners." Shuler knows that kids are all very different and that they behave differ- ently. "Somehow, the kids that are horrible in other teach- er's classes are good in mine. I don't really know how or why. I don't treat them different than any other kid. I may learn their name faster, though," she said with a laugh. Maybe it is because they can cook and sew in Shul- er's class, but she said that she likes to keep up with different learning styles and change things up. SANTA SHOP AT BARTON ELEMENTARY GOT SCHOOL NEWS? Email: egnews@pressdispatch.net Hoses with Santa OCU Pictured are Lily and Bethany Hose, of Oakland City, with Santa at the Oakland City University Busi- ness Club's Christmas Party. Contributed photo