ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, December 4, 1995 TAG: 9512070022
SECTION: NEWSFUN PAGE: NF-3 EDITION: METRO
Most people believe adolescents crave time away from their parents and would be happy spending the rest of their lives with door closed and music blaring.
Not so, says Linda Wright, a seventh-grade science teacher at Breckinridge Middle School in Roanoke. In fact, Wright says, it's just the opposite.
"Kids this age really enjoy the guidance you give them," she said. "They want and need attention from adults."
Wright, who has taught middle school pupils at Breckinridge for 12 years, said she enjoys the challenges presented by preteens. "You can really help them find their interests and steer them in a direction," she said.
Wright said she tries to stress "accountability" to her pupils. "I want them to know that they've got to follow through," she said. "The teacher has to be accountable, too. I check the results of their work and let them know what mistakes they've made, but I also praise them."
Wright, who lined her dolls up on a fence and taught them when she was a child, credits a biology teacher at Roanoke's William Fleming High School with sparking her interest in the subject. "Carole Massart was my role model," she said. "I still remember the lab activities, especially the cat dissection."
A graduate of Roanoke College, Wright attended Breckinridge and now teaches with some of her former teachers. She is married, the mother of two and enjoys collecting dolls, crafts, and reading medical material.
LENGTH: Short : 34 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Linda Wright/Seventh grade Breckinridge Middle Schoolby CNB