Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, October 10, 1994                   TAG: 9410150008
SECTION: NEWSFUN                    PAGE: NF-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

TEACHER OF THE WEEK

Chalmers draws latitude and longitude lines on a pumpkin and outlines the continents to give her pupils a bigger, better, brighter-colored and more exciting model of the Earth.

And if they're lucky, pupils in her Blacksburg class might even get to wash it off in time for Halloween and carve a jack-o'-lantern.

"Mrs. Chalmers is fun to be around and classes with her are never boring," one of her pupils said.

Chalmers says she loves teaching Virginia history. In the past she has taken classes to Natural Bridge and Monticello.

In her 22 years of teching, Chalmers said she has found her favorite age to teach are fourth-graders. "They're enthusiastic and still eager to learn."

Chalmers says she has noticed that children of today are more concerned about environmental problems, but basically, she said, children haven't changed that much in two decades.

"I'm here to help them be the best person they can be," she said.