College of Education News

Archives for April 2022

Learning the administrative side of education

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Shifting from being a teacher to an administrator can bring a lot of changes. There are also many benefits to knowing both fields, no matter which one you work in.  

The College of Education’s department of counseling, leadership and special education collaborates with local school districts to create cohorts of educators who earn their master’s in educational administration.  

“If a district can foresee that there are going to be job openings within the community, they can encourage people with good leadership skills in their district toward that role,” explained Dr. Kim Finch, director of the educational administration program. 

“Our program is also good for the classroom teacher. The coursework gives an awareness of what takes place in the office and why things may be handled the way they are.” 

The cohort model 

One of the benefits of the cohort model for educational administration is that districts can personalize the curriculum for their faculty. 

Twelve hours of the degree are earned as credit-by-assessment and are taught by the district. 

“We send them our syllabus along with our assignments. This allows them to tweak it so that it can better align with their district,” Finch explained. “Sometimes those assignments might be projects that the school board requested.”  

Students within the cohorts save money on tuition since they earn 12 credit hours through their district. 

Nixa Public Schools (NPS) currently participates in the program.  

“This partnership with MSU is mutually beneficial for our students and district alike,” said Josh Chastain, executive director of curriculum, instruction and assessment at NPS. “Students benefit financially, and our district gains dedicated, highly trained and NPS-focused administrative candidates.  

“MSU wants to support our teachers in their graduate endeavors and make sure our students are able to receive necessary professional learning.”  

Contact Dr. Kim Finch about forming a cohort 

Encouraging educators 

A master’s in educational administration allows teachers to earn a salary increase in addition to their certification to become an administrator. 

“Sometimes people who go through our program just want a master’s degree,” Finch said. “But we encourage everyone to get certified. Down the road, you may want to apply for an opening, and you will already have obtained the right classes and assessments.” 

Missouri needs more teachers and administrators right now, so Finch said it’s important to have professional development accessible to educators and future educators.   

She emphasized the necessity for building positive relationships with students in the program and highlighting the positive things happening across the field of education. 

“Education is the background for everything, whether you want to be a doctor, a banker or whatever. If we don’t have a good education system, then all other professions will be affected.” 

Explore a master’s in educational administration  

Supporting children in times of uncertainty

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Our children have spent the past two years living through a pandemic, sifting through experiences and learning the new “normal.”

Dr. Lindsey Murphy, associate professor in Missouri State University’s department of childhood education and family studies, has worked with children in crisis situations.

“In general, caregivers have been more stressed during the pandemic, balancing work, home life and health,” Murphy said.

“If caregivers stretch themselves too thin, there may be fewer quality interactions and less structure in the home. That can all have a significant impact on child development.”

But there is good news. Murphy notes that children can bounce back from difficulty easier than adults. Because children are still developing, they can be quite resilient.

Children feeling the effects

Distance learning, working from home and shelter in place can affect child development.

“The pandemic disrupted a lot of family routines,” Murphy said. “Most often, families are trying to get through the next hour or the next day.”

On the positive side, Murphy shares some families may have experienced more quality time together due to the pandemic.

“Some families are working from home and not commuting to and from work. This means they can have a longer family dinner together,” Murphy said. “There’s no universal impact in this situation.”

What we can do to help

While the chaos of pandemic life may seem inescapable, all is not lost.  Adults can help children through these trying times.

Murphy explains five things children need in stressful situations:

  1. Safety – create predictability and limit media exposure. Respond to questions when asked with simple, age-appropriate honesty.
  2. Regulation – give tight pressure hugs, rock in a rocking chair, massage or sing a song to help regulate the body with rhythm.
  3. Connection – be present and make time to bond through a dance party, reading a book or having a family game night.
  4. Efficacy – give opportunities for children to make others feel better. Encourage them to make a card for someone or help a neighbor in need.
  5. Hope – make plans for the future and help children believe that things will get better.

When parents help children establish these basic coping skills, they have the tools to process the situation on their own terms. This helps children to develop resilience.

“Resilience is growing in the face of challenge and becoming a stronger, healthier version of yourself,” Murphy explained.

“A lot of times I see resilience in play settings. When children become playmakers, they can manipulate the experience. This allows them to gain control over something that could have felt overpowering at one point.”

It’s never too late to start early

Because crisis events are unpredictable, it is important to practice with children, so they have a set of skills to pull from during a crisis.

“It’s really hard to learn coping skills when you’re already under stress,” Murphy said.

“The sooner we start establishing the basics, the better children will be able to use these skills in the midst of crisis, and therefore the more effective they will be.”

Explore degrees in early childhood development