Photos

By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer

HAPEVILLE - A strange thing is happening in Jeanne Rast's seventh-grade, pre-algebra class at St. John the Evangelist School. While working through decimal and fraction equations, the students are actually laughing. It's 8:45 a.m. and the seven students are working in groups of two and three. While the new science and math lab are under construction, Rast is teaching in a small room she calls her "cubbyhole" located just off the cafeteria. While teaching among shelves with boxes labeled "fossils/minerals," "meteorology," "test tubes" and "rocks," among others, Rast and her students are working on the P.O.D.-problem of the day. She is quick to praise the students who solve the problem, and even quicker to help those who are confused. Rast's individual attention to her students and ability to make her math and science classes exciting are just two of the reasons she was named one of only 12 Distinguished Teachers nationwide by the National Catholic Educational Association. Having taught at St. John for 10 years, the 45-year-old teacher said she "can't imagine doing any other work." The irony is that she became a teacher by accident. After receiving a math degree from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., Rast began teaching at a high school. With a desire to work in the financial field, Rast thought she would "just teach for about nine months." "I had not intended to stay," she said. But 23 years later, she is still teaching. After teaching high school for 13 years, Rast enjoys her role at St. John. "I like the family feel, and I like that we are part of a community that shares the same faith," she said. "There is also an expectation here, both spiritually and academically. We expect children to make choices based on what's right. We have a lot of diversity here, with students from all ethnic backgrounds and not only that, but all academic levels. We expect the same quality from all our students. We don't lower our standards and I like that." Rast received her master's degree in math education from Georgia State University in 1992 and is currently working on her doctorate in the same field. When asked if she will make her students call her "doctor," Rast's reply comes quickly. "You bet," she laughs. "Everyone's going to have to call me doctor." A grant received by St. John from the Goizueta Foundation has allowed, among other benefits, the addition of new labs, giving Rast, who had been teaching middle school math and science, the new role of teaching all grades. The labs, she said, help to make learning fun. "I feel that students learn best when they are actively involved and when they feel that what they are learning is important," she said. "We do a lot of projects and hands-on learning." Teachers who are given the NCEA honor are nominated by their principals and must also be active in their parish and in their community. St. John principal Karen Vogtner praised Rast not only for her teaching ability, but also for her dedication to those she teaches. "She adds so much to our school because she is a teacher of teachers," Vogtner said. "She shares her gifts not only with the students but with the teachers as well." Vogtner cited the many competitions in which Rast involves her students, including the Science Olympiad. During the 1999-2000 school year, under Rast's guidance, students from St. John competed in the Olympiad for the first time and made it all the way to the state finals. "That's not something she has to do, but she voluntarily does it. She brings a lot of energy to her teaching and a lot of motivation to her students," the principal said. "She just instills a thirst for discovery and for learning and really allows children to take risks and to do things they wouldn't normally do." A mother of four, Rast is a past parish council president at St. John the Evangelist Church, has sung in the choir, worked in the youth group and currently serves as a eucharistic minister and lector. She is involved in the Hapeville community as well, working with local sporting associations. A college basketball player, she is often seen at St. John helping to coach the teams. "I don't think you can get a real feel for what Jesus meant when he told us to love one another just by going to Mass," she said. And though her good works and her job keep her busy, she loves what she does. "I don't think I'll ever retire," she said. "I think I'll always teach in one form or the other. I just can't imagine not working with students." Her students, who may or may not share her opinion that "math is the most exciting subject," can at least benefit by her commitment to helping them learn, a vocation that she at first was unaware she possessed. "It used to be that I saw success as something monetary-a job where I would wear a suit and carry a briefcase," she said. "Now success to me is making a difference in children's lives."