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

DATE: MONDAY, April 24, 1995                   TAG: 9504260013
SECTION: NEWSFUN                    PAGE: NF-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

TEACHER OF THE WEEK

Hope Ridge says she loves teaching in a "small, rural, close-knit community where people care about their kids."

Hillsville, Ridge says, is very much like Chase City, a small town in Southside Virginia where she grew up and decided to become a teacher. Ridge said she had a government teacher who inspired her "and really cared about me. She also went to my church, and I wanted to be like her."

And although Ridge says she loves her community, she still believes it's important for her pupils to learn about other places. She will serve as host to a Japanese woman who will intern at Hillsville Elementary this spring. "It's wonderful for children to see people from her countries. It's important to find out about other cultures," she said.

"Mrs. Ridge is so nice and makes everything fun and not boring," said the pupil who nominated her. "She is a very loving and caring teacher."

A teacher for 22 years, Ridge is married and enjoys bridge, reading and gardening. What she likes to do most, she says, is spend time with her four grandchildren.

by CNB