Marletta Eich teaches fourth graders at the newly opened Madison Elementary School in Madison. Previously, Eich taught fourth graders at Lincoln Elementary School and second and fourth graders at Washington Elementary School, both also in Madison. At Washington Elementary, Eich employed many imaginative teaching strategies, such as a "Little Legislators" unit, in which she took students through the legislative process by having them write bills in classroom committees. These were then sent to the school principal, who acted as "Governor" - either signing, vetoing or returning the bills for revision. Eich also led her students in collecting oral histories from elders and veterans in Madison, which they then shared with the public through skits, poems, songs, dramatic works, videos or PowerPoint presentations. Eich makes extensive use of online learning resources and frequently engages in Internet-based collaborative projects. Eich's students were recognized by the South Dakota Legislature in 2001 as the Fourth Grade Classroom of the Year. Says Eich: "I truly believe our goal as educators is to help children become responsible adults. Why not have a little fun while doing so!"
