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College of Education News

Archives for August 2022

Seven students commit to teach local

August 25, 2022 by Strategic Communication

First class of the Future Educators Program.

The Future Educators Program is underway as seven students join the first class.  

Each student will complete an education program at Missouri State University. Upon graduation, they will begin their teaching career in Springfield Public Schools.  

The Future Educators Program helps students from underrepresented and under-resourced backgrounds become educators.  

Students in the program will receive financial aid, mentor support and additional teacher training. 

Cass Cavanaugh, future educator, said, “I chose to become a teacher because teaching is what I love most, and I can’t wait to see the next generation grow and change the world.” 

About the Future Educators Program 

Meet the students 

Anusha Chakraborty 

Chakraborty is an elementary education major and expects to graduate in May 2024. 

She graduated from Kickapoo High School and was an A+ tutor. She competed on the debate team and was in orchestra and on the girl’s tennis team. 

Drew Irwin 

Irwin is studying elementary education and expects to graduate in December 2023. 

He is a post-baccalaureate student with a background in theater. He currently substitutes for Springfield Public Schools.  

Joshua Tofflemire 

Tofflemire is studying elementary education and is an incoming first-year student. 

He graduated from Kickapoo High School and participated in marching and concert band.  

Brandon Huddleston 

Huddleston is studying elementary or middle school education and is a post-baccalaureate student. 

He graduated with a bachelor’s in electronic arts from MSU. He volunteered as a teacher for the Black History Summer Academy. He is currently a paraprofessional for Springfield Public Schools.   

Cass Cavanaugh 

Cavanaugh is studying elementary education and expects to graduate in May 2024. 

They are the president of Bears Teach Elementary and are in the accelerated master’s program at Missouri State. 

Samantha Johnson 

Johnson is studying early childhood education and expects to graduate in May 2023.  

She is a pre-school teacher and was formerly a pre-medical student.  

Maddison Songer 

Songer is studying elementary education and expects to graduate in May 2024. 

She recently served as a mentor for the Bears Teach summer program.  

Join the Future Educators Program 

Students may apply to join the next class of the Future Educators Program in spring of 2023. 

Current high school seniors and Missouri State sophomores and juniors who are education majors may be eligible.  

For more information, contact Dr. Chloe Bolyard, assistant professor of elementary education at Missouri State University.  

Explore education programs 

Filed Under: COE Students Tagged With: college of education, Future Educators Program, Springfield Public Schools

Developing teaching skills through community engagement

August 5, 2022 by Strategic Communication

Classroom with stuffed animals and a rug.

Community awareness is an essential component of teaching.  

“Teachers are community workers. Effective teaching requires ethical leadership and cultural literacies,” Dr. Jennice McCafferty-Wright said.  

“This is especially true when we engage with the newest members of our community and those who have fled exploited and war-torn homelands.” 

Wright is an assistant professor in the department of childhood education and family studies at Missouri State University. She teaches courses that help students become educators. 

To help her students develop teaching skills and community awareness, Wright incorporated a service-learning practicum into her course, Methods of Teaching Social Studies in Elementary Schools. 

Making a lifelong difference 

The English Language Institute at Missouri State provides free English classes for adult refugees from Afghanistan. While the parents are in class, Wright’s students engage with the parents’ children.  

A few evenings a week, the students provide a safe learning environment for the children to learn through play.  

The students follow the children’s lead. They engage with the children in English to help them learn the language, and express interest in the children’s cultures and home languages, Dari or Pashto.  

The students’ efforts have a profound impact on the children and their families.  

“Some of the mothers of these young children are preliterate. The Taliban did not permit them to learn to read or write in their home languages when they were younger,” Wright said.  

“Now, they live in a country where literacy is an essential requirement for providing for their families. The skills learned in their English classes are essential to their families’ survival in the United States.” 

Molding to the community’s needs 

Through service-learning, the students develop a deeper understanding of their course material.  

Students can connect course topics, such as teaching for global understanding and civic engagement, to their practicum experience.  

By working with children who are refugees, the students learn valuable skills that will help them teach students from all backgrounds.  

“The students practice strategies for working with children who are English Language Learners,” Wright said.  

“They also support the development of vocabulary that will help the children engage with social studies and other school subjects.” 

It is crucial that teacher candidates learn how to adapt their teaching approach to meet their students’ needs, especially those from vulnerable communities.  

“In a perfect world, there would be no need for teachers to know how to support victims of manmade crises,” Wright said.  

“But we must teach both for the world in which we live and the more perfect world our students have the potential to create.”   

Wright plans to incorporate the practicum in future courses to continue serving the community and helping her students become well-rounded educators.  

Learn more about education programs

Filed Under: COE Faculty Tagged With: childhood education and family studies, college of education, Elementary Education, Jennice McCafferty, service-learning

More teachers than ever are leaving the profession

August 2, 2022 by Strategic Communication

Alumni teaching.

Across the nation, teachers are leaving the profession. The pandemic and shifting political landscape have left teachers feeling overworked and undervalued. 

According to a 2022 Gallup poll, K-12 teachers report the highest burnout rate of all U.S. professions. More than four out of every 10 teachers said they feel burned out “always” or “very often” at work. 

Dr. Stefanie Livers, associate professor in the department of childhood education and family studies at Missouri State University, gives reasons for why teachers are fleeing and provides advice for current teachers and teacher educators.  

The challenges 

Teaching is historically undervalued, according to Livers. She said, “Teachers are underpaid, benefits are always unstable and the workload keeps increasing.”  

The pandemic has increased the stress levels for teachers because they had to introduce virtual learning in their classes.

In addition to the systemic challenges of teaching, teachers face social and emotional challenges.  

People often direct their frustrations about political, societal and curriculum issues onto teachers. Some even attack teachers on a personal level.  

“If you’re under attack, it’s a hard place to be,” Livers said.   

The teaching profession is becoming deprofessionalized. Schools are starting to require teachers to follow hyper-specific guidelines for teaching, limiting teacher autonomy. 

Teachers go through rigorous programs to become experts in their field. To become teachers, candidates must apply to and get accepted into the program. Then they must complete programmatic coursework, student teach and pass numerous assessments. 

Teachers need the ability to use their expertise to build their instructional practice based on the students’ needs, but deprofessionalization restricts that ability. 

“We need to provide teachers with the professional courtesy to do their job with integrity,” Livers said. 

The current climate of the teaching profession is problematic.

For the future of education, Livers said, “Something needs to change, and something needs to change quickly.” 

For teachers seeking jobs, Livers recommends they look for supportive administrations that make their teachers feel valued.    

Feeling valued at work leads to better mental and physical health, and higher job satisfaction, according to a survey from the American Psychology Association.    

“Your administrator matters,” Livers said. “With the teacher shortage, teachers can be more intentional in their job search and look for schools with support systems for teachers.”   

Update teacher preparation programs  

Teacher educators need to adapt and evolve their teacher preparation programs to accommodate the current climate of the teaching profession. 

If future teachers enjoy their time in the classroom from the start of their teaching program, they are more likely to feel satisfied and prepared for their profession.    

Teachers may enjoy teaching more when their preparation includes active learning activities, like teaching small groups and providing one-on-one support to students.  

Less time on campus and more time in schools could prove to be more meaningful for future teachers. 

Missouri State has updated its teacher preparation programs to include more practical experience.  

For example, the students who take the Methods of Teaching Social Studies in Elementary Schools course partake in a service-learning practicum. Throughout the semester, the students provide a safe environment for children who are refugees to learn through play.   

“Students should be able to develop their learning through hands-on experiences,” Livers said. “Teacher educators should act more like mentors on the ground in local schools and play an active role in helping future teachers learn how to teach within local classrooms.”     

“Creating a network of ideas is important,” Livers said. “We could use more out-of-box experiences within teacher preparation that allow future teachers to use their expertise and develop their teaching practice in creative ways that would also help our local community.”    

The bottom line 

The teaching profession has challenges, but overall, it is a rewarding career.  

On the most difficult days, Livers recommends that teachers try to remember why they became teachers.  

“I know teaching can be challenging but remember why it matters,” Livers said. 

“Teachers matter, and I hope that we can collectively improve the profession so that teachers can always feel supported and valued.”

Explore education programs

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: childhood education and family studies, Stefanie Livers

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