Abigail Blaes, Author at College of Education News

College of Education News

Stories of Healing in the Aftermath of Hurricane Dorian

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In the wake of a disaster, there’s confusion. There’s fear. There’s grief. It can be nearly impossible for any person to process. 

For children, the trauma of a disaster can feel even more confusing and upsetting. 

According to NBC News, Hurricane Dorian was the most intense hurricane on record to hit the Bahamas. It is regarded as the worst natural disaster in the country’s history. Dozens of deaths have been reported and hundreds are still missing. 

Amid all this chaos and fear, groups of people gather from around the world to help. Cara Smith, child life clinical instructor at Missouri State, was one of those people. 

Cara Smith plays with puppets with a young girl

About Child Life Disaster Relief 

Smith went to the Bahamas with the nonprofit organization Child Life Disaster Relief. This organization sends child life specialists like Smith to places affected by disasters.  

These specialists integrate into the affected communities and help them find normalcy once again. 

“What we do is really just providing the tools to the kids,” Smith said. “We create a safe place for them to play out their experiences. Often times, as adults, our perception of what may be traumatic or what was challenging for them can be different than what a child is experiencing.” 

This is why the child life specialists support children through directed playtime. In other words, the specialists are there to provide a familiar way for children to express themselves. It’s a comfortable outlet for the kids to start processing what they experienced. 

There were three child life specialists first sent to the Bahamas; Smith was the leader of the group. 

Cara and her team on the beach in the Bahamas
Cara (middle) and her team

In the Bahamas 

Smith and her team were directed to the island of Nassau. Nassau wasn’t severely impacted by the hurricane initially. However, it became the safe haven for those displaced by Hurricane Dorian. This is where Smith’s team began their work. 

Their first stop was a gymnasium with over 1,200 people living in it. Around 200 of them were children.  

“The first day we walked into that gym and the kids saw we had toys, it was like the masses erupted,” Smith said. “They had nothing, and this was something we could give them.” 

The toys were a gateway to creating connections with the kids. 

“I think sometimes, when people think of supporting kids in disaster situations, what they’re looking for is a smiley, happy ending,” Smith said. “But that’s not what we really have to do. We have to create space for whatever they’re feeling and tell them it’s okay to scream and cry. We just have to be there.” 

Stories of healing 

Smith recounted some of the stories that most impacted her during her time working with the children affected by Hurricane Dorian. 

We had a music therapist with us who was amazing. She did some songwriting with some of the kids. Of the group, several of them were teenage boys. They had a difficult time naming the things that they were feeling. One of the boys said that he thought the hurricane was funny. Clearly, this was his way of not really connecting fully to what he was really feeling.  

As the songwriting exercise continued, he started to open up about his best friend that he hasn’t heard from since the hurricane. He doesn’t know if she’s just lost her phone or if she’s dead. He starts to pour his heart out about it. He wrote this song called Depression Dorian.  

He talked about depression and how it comes into your life, and it steals all that you have and everyone you love. And it came from this kid who had been sitting there calling the hurricane funny. He was now at this point where he was able to pour his heart out about what it really meant for him. 

Smith shared more about her reaction to helping the kids process these experiences. 

“You have a certain circle of control,” Smith said. “There are these huge needs in these communities, and you want to fix everything. But you can only control this small amount. So, you focus on your own little circle of control and allow that to trickle out to other people.” 

She shared another story that impacted her. 

I was water-coloring with a girl one day, and I told her she could paint whatever she wanted. She started to draw some dinosaur feet. And she’s painting and enjoying herself. And I’m not an art therapist. I wasn’t there to interpret what she was drawing, but if she wanted to share about it, I was there for that. 

When she’s finished her picture, she wrote on the side “love you all” and then at the top she wrote “miss you.” I asked if her “miss you” was for someone special. And she said, “Yeah, it’s for my grandpa.” 

And then she said, “He died,” and she just curled up and started crying. A lot of the kids felt like the tears weren’t okay. I don’t know if it was a cultural thing, but I sat there with her and let her cry. Other kids walked up and were asking why she was crying. 

I just said, “It’s because she’s got sadness. Sadness has to find its way out.” And then the other kids had this realization that it was okay to cry. Later on after the little girl had kind of moved on, she came up to me and gave me a big hug. She didn’t say anything. Just gave me a really big hug.  

It was just so rewarding to be able to give these kids a place to express their emotions, to give them a safe place to cry. 

Bear POWER and College of Education Host MIPSA Conference

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Are you a current or prospective teacher wanting to learn more about working with students who have a disability? The Midwest Inclusive Post Secondary Alliance (MIPSA) Conference will be held on Nov. 4 at Missouri State University.  

Several Missouri State faculty and staff members will present:  

  • Dr. David Hough, dean of the College of Education 
  • Dr. Chris Craig, deputy provost 
  • Wes Pratt, chief diversity officer 
  • Stacy Rice, senior instructional designer in the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning 
  • Kim Roam, clinical instructor in the childhood education and family studies department
  • Rachel Heinz, director of Bear POWER 

Edie Cusack, a guest speaker from the College of Charleston, will be leading a two-hour faculty training. 

About the conference 

The MIPSA Conference will provide resources and training for faculty. Topics will include working with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the classroom on a college campus. 

Bear POWER is hosting the conference and program director, Heinz, will be presenting. 

“I hope that faculty can take away tools and resources for working with students who have a disability,” Heinz said. “Faculty will learn about supporting inclusion using universal design approaches that will benefit all learners in the classroom.” 

Xi’an China: There and Back Again

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“This experience was a highlight of my teaching career,” Michelle Satterfield said. “Learning another’s perspective fundamentally changes you as a person and moves you towards the best version of yourself.” 

Satterfield and Rhonda Bishop, clinical instructors for the department of childhood education and family studies, traveled to Xi’an, China to be guest instructors at Shaanxi Normal University’s International Summer School. 

The International Summer School was two weeks long with two-hour sessions each weekday. 

Teaching internationally 

Bishop taught a course on community and school partnerships, discussing how schools and communities can work together.  

“A lot of the learning focused on the similarities and differences between American and Chinese school systems,” Bishop said. 

Satterfield taught a course called The United States’ Role in the Global Classroom. It was her second Summer Institute visit. 

Bishop spoke more in-depth about her experience teaching a classroom of students whose native language was not English. 

“There were definitely language barriers,” she said. “It made me realize how students of any age who come to the United States who do not speak English as their first language must feel. It was an eye-opening experience, and it helped me evaluate my teaching practice.” 

However, the language barriers didn’t prevent Bishop and Satterfield from forming great relationships with the students they taught. 

Breaking down barriers and building relationships 

“The people of Xi’an are so eager to show their city,” Satterfield said. “One of the most interesting parts of the experience was meeting the very generous people of Xi’an.” 

Bishop echoed this sentiment. 

“Absolutely connecting with the students who took my course was the most important part of the experience,” Bishop said. “The students at Shaanxi Normal University are kind, gracious and extremely welcoming.” ‘

From teaching it to living it

One of the most exciting parts of the trip for Satterfield was being able to live in the culture she had taught about for years. 

“I taught middle school social studies for many years, and we learned about Ancient Chinese history,” Satterfield said. “It was really wonderful to experience the history, the geography and the people of China after teaching about it for so many years.” 

She shared a little about their travels. 

“We visited historical sites such as the Qin Dynasty’s Terra Cotta Warriors, the City Wall, and the Winter Palance in Xi’an,” Satterfield said. “We also spent some time in Beijing before returning to Springfield. We visited the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace.” 

Studying and teaching abroad 

“I encourage others to spread your wings and teach abroad,” Satterfield said. 

Bishop also encourages faculty and students to travel abroad. 

“This experience moved me out of my comfort zone, and I believe this teaching experience helps me view the curriculum I teach through a different lens,” Bishop said. “I know the experience changed me for the better.  

“Being selected to go abroad and to have the opportunity to share topics you are passionate about with another culture is an impacting experience,” Bishop said. 

Prioritizing yourself: Active Minds on campus

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“No matter what someone has going on, we wanted people to know that it’s okay to not be okay.”

Emily Haarmann is a senior elementary education major and is the former vice president of the student organization Active Minds.

“Active Minds is an organization whose main goal is to simply start the conversation about mental health,” Haarmann said.

Getting involved

During Haarmann’s sophomore year, she and her best friend, Molly Mullen, were looking for an organization to join on campus. They wanted an organization they were passionate about and could relate to.

“Molly and I both went through pretty significant events in our lives, and we both knew mental health was so important to us,” Haarmann said. “We started attending meetings and grew to really appreciate them. I could tell what it did for my own mental health.”

After encouragement from the Active Minds group, Haarmann began to take advantage of the Counseling Center and prioritize her own mental health.

However, Active Minds hit a bump in the road when it was announced the organization wouldn’t be returning to campus the next year.

Rebuilding from the ground up

“I received an email from the adviser for Active Minds asking if I could pick up the group where it left off,” Haarmann said.

Haarmann rallied Mullen and a few other loyal members of Active Minds to get the organization going again.

Mullen was the Active Minds president and Haarmann was the vice president.

“Being a part and facilitating some really powerful conversations has been a great eye-opener to how important the conversation is,” Haarmann said. “I think it’s so important to let students have time to talk to others about their feelings and ideas.”

Applying Active Minds in her classroom

Ever since the beginning of her education path, Haarmann knew she wanted to make mental health education a priority in her classroom.

“I wanted to create lessons that taught my students tools on how to recognize, validate

and handle emotions in their lives,” Haarmann said. “Most importantly, I wanted them to know that someone cared and loved them and that my classroom was a safe place.”

Haarmann recently was placed at Glenridge Elementary School in Clayton through the Internship Academy program. In the Clayton school district, social-emotional learning is a focus area in classrooms.

“It’s about putting the child first and helping them solve problems in a way that doesn’t punish them for having emotions,” Haarmann said.

She believes teaching kids about physical health is just as important as teaching them about mental health.

“Teaching kids small tools will give them transferable skills to grow in the future for when they’re handling bigger emotions,” Haarman said. “I want them to know that it’s okay to ask for help.”

Interested in Joining Active Minds?

Active Minds meets about once a week and discusses increasing awareness for mental health issues. Haarmann had to take a step away from campus and from Active Minds because of her internship but promoting mental health awareness will always be a priority for her. She encourages interested students to give it a shot even if they’re apprehensive.

“It’s extremely low commitment, and it’s not a group that makes anybody talk,” Haarmann said. “You can go and just listen.”

Haarmann found the consistency of Active Minds’ meetings helpful after she transferred to Missouri State.

“It might seem scary or intimidating but take the time to listen to your feelings and let those feelings be validated,” Haarmann said.

If you’re interested in learning more about Active Minds, email the current Active Minds executive board at activeminds@missouristate.edu.

Partnership beyond campus

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The summer semester can be slow on campus. During June, however, a small corner of campus was buzzing. 

Twenty-eight high school students came to campus to learn anything and everything about college. The program, Bear Partnership, is still in its early days, but it has provided invaluable experience for these students. 

Senior elementary education student, Lauren Floyd, acted as a guide for the high schoolers during their time on campus. 

“In the beginning, I was a little intimidated by the idea of mentoring high schoolers,” Floyd said. “I eventually committed to the experience of being a counselor, and it has been the best decision for myself.” 

It’s easy to forget the fear and apprehension high schoolers deal with when confronted with graduation and moving on to college. 

“When you are in high school, you are in the ‘safety’ zone,” Floyd said. “You see the same people you have grown up with each day.” 

The Bear Partnership program tries to make the transition to college easier. The program also hopes to introduce students to careers in education. 

Throughout the week, students: 

  • Participated in ACT preparation 
  • Discussed financial aid 
  • Toured the campus 
  • Discussed managing stress in college 

The group also enjoyed Springfield classics like Lambert’s Café and a Springfield Cardinal’s game. 

Floyd had a lot to reflect on at the conclusion of the week. 

“I have grown and bonded with these students,” she said. “I have loved including them into my college experience, but I have also loved being included into their high school experiences.”