An elementary school teacher since 1972 with a 30-year tenure in Mineral County Schools, Frankfort Intermediate third-grade teacher Diane Lemon,  received recognition for more than three decades of hard work when she was selected for the  2008 West Virginia Math Teacher of the year award.
The award, given since 1982, recognizes excellence in teaching in the field of mathematics.
Lemon learned of her achievement on March 14 while attending the West Virginia Council Teachers of Mathematics (WVCTM) annual conference in Flatwoods, W.Va.
“I was shocked,” said Lemon. “I was sitting there listening to all of the things they were saying about the people thinking, I would like to be like that but I know I’m not. But then I was surprised because they were talking about me.”
To be selected for this recognition,  Lemon said she was nominated by another individual in the school system, but that person does not work at FIS.
A teacher of all subjects, Lemon said there is currently a large amount of emphasis on making sure students can read.
She said a lot of elementary school teachers believe that when they teach reading, that mathematics skills will follow.
“Sometimes it doesn’t always come,” said Lemon about students’ math skills. “It is proven that just because students can read may not necessarily mean they will do well in math.”
Lemon said her favorite area in mathematics to teach is geometry because it “grabs the students’ attention.”
“These children are able to name every Pokemon card and pronounce them correctly and every dinosaur and can pronounce them correctly. We as adults don’t talk ‘math talk.’ A diamond is not a diamond. But children get really interested when we start talking math terms.”
Lemon believes students absorb mathematics terms like a foreign language and that teachers shouldn’t wait to introduce these terms in higher grades.
A 1967 graduate of Keyser High School, Lemon attended college at Fairmont State where she received a bachelor’s degree in 1972  in Elementary and Early Childhood Education while minoring in Industrial Arts.
In 1975, Lemon received her Master’s of Early Childhood Education degree from West Virginia University.
A member of the Mineral County Mathematics Team and the chairperson for the Mineral County Curriculum for grades three and four, Lemon began her teaching career in Marion County at James Fork Elementary and Farmington Elementary.
She then transferred to Mineral County Schools in 1978 where she has been ever since.
“I think I am going to retire sometime within the next year,” said Lemon. “It was very nice ending my career with this.  It makes me feel a little guilty about retiring but it is very nice.”
Lemon resides in Keyser with husband, David.
They are the parents of one daughter, Mollie Altobello and husband Chris, also of Keyser.
Lemon is expecting her first grandchild in October.
Besides teaching, Lemon enjoys being an Independent Southern Living consultant which she has been doing from her home for the past five years.

Bobbie L. Carpenter can be reached at bobbie@newstribune.info