College of Education News

MSU adds a new graduate certificate for teachers

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Are you a teacher wanting to expand your career?   

Become a library media specialist through Missouri State University’s new library media specialist graduate certificate. 

“Library media specialists have several responsibilities in school libraries,” said Dr. Stephanie Huffman, head of the reading, foundations and technology Department at Missouri State.  

“They work with teachers and administrators to build strong curriculums. They also work with students on literacy, recreational reading and information literacy.” 

Library media specialists are also responsible for organizing the library and ordering books based on curriculum and budget.  

Throughout the program, teachers will learn these technical skills and explore the ethical aspect of managing a library. 

The first cohort will begin classes in January 2023. 

Apply for the graduate certificate 

What you’ll learn in the program 

The coursework for the certificate includes a combination of lectures and cooperative learning activities, as well as field activities. 

“The program gives teachers a foundational understanding of library and information science, and how it works with the curriculum at the schools,” said Crystal Dicke, program director and associate professor of library science at Missouri State.  

These skills will help teachers throughout their career.  

“The program is beneficial for all teachers to look into because it builds strong literacy and technology skills essential for any teacher,” Huffman said.  

“Teachers can embed these skills within the classroom, so the certificate is worthwhile even without working as a library media specialist.” 

Qualifications 

The program is for certified teachers who want to become certified library media specialists in K-12 schools.  

Those who are interested in the career change and are not certified teachers must obtain a certification in teaching before applying for the graduate certificate program.  

To obtain the graduate certificate, teachers must complete four three-credit hour courses and pass the Missouri Content Assessment (MoCA) test. The program is fully online and can be completed in one year or two semesters.  

Teachers may apply the course credits from the graduate certificate toward a master’s degree in education technology or to other graduate degree programs in the university.  

Students must meet the graduate certificate admission requirements to qualify for the program. 

Learn more about the certificate 

MSU alumni goes above and beyond

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Christy Osborne, a recent graduate of Missouri State University who teaches at Central Park Elementary, was recognized for her outstanding teaching.  

She was awarded the Teacher of the Year for the Monett School District.  

Osborne graduated from Missouri State in May 2022 with a master’s in elementary education and a graduate certificate in dyslexia. She is currently in her 10th year of teaching third grade.   

Osborne’s colleagues nominated her for the award because she goes above and beyond for her students.  

Using her passion to help others 

Several years into her teaching career, Osborne believed she had more to learn to be the best teacher for her students. She enrolled in the master’s program while teaching full-time. 

However, during the beginning of her coursework, she did not feel driven. She felt that her priorities needed to be fully on her teaching career, so she put the program on hold.  

She later noticed that some of her students were showing dyslexic qualities and realized she did not have the training to teach them.  

“The students felt dumb, and they thought something was wrong with them,” Osborne said. “I knew I needed more specialized training on how to help these students realize that they are smart and help them succeed academically.” 

When she discovered that Missouri State had a graduate certificate in dyslexia, she rejoined the program. She thought it was what she needed to help the struggling readers she sees every day.  

“Once I heard about the dyslexia certificate, I knew I had chosen the right college and picked up right where I left off,” Osborne said.  

During the last year of her program, she put what she learned from her studies into practice and won Monett Teacher of the Year.   

Asking for help to become a better teacher  

Throughout Osborne’s teaching career, she learned the importance of asking questions. 

“One of the most challenging aspects when I began teaching was asking for help,” Christy said.  

“Once I got my degree, I thought I should know exactly what I needed to do. I thought that if I asked too many questions, it meant that I was not a good teacher.”  

Osborne started talking with other teachers a few weeks into her first year of teaching and admitted that she felt overwhelmed. She discovered that she was not alone in her struggles.  

“After seeing teachers with years of experience still asking questions, I realized that in order to learn, you must continue to ask questions.”

Osborne’s ability to ask questions and admit when she needs help has allowed her to develop extraordinary teaching skills.   

She uses these teaching skills to help her students thrive in their academic and personal lives.  

“Making a difference in the day-to-day lives of my students is the most rewarding part of being a teacher,” Osborne said. 

“But to say that teaching is rewarding is not enough. Teaching students to be the best person they can be is the most important task teachers face.”  

As a recipient of the Monett Teacher of the Year award, Osborne has learned how to help students be the best version of themselves.  

Advice for future teachers 

Osborne advises future teachers to stick with their career through the difficult times. She said that teaching will be hard, physically and emotionally, and they will be thoroughly exhausted.  

But the challenges will be worth it. 

“The sparkle in the student’s eye when they overcome a struggle to understand something, the voice of confidence when the quiet student raises a hand to give an insightful answer and the smile on the students’ faces make the difficult parts of teaching seem so unimportant,” Osborn said. 

“These children are the future of our world. We make today better for our students; they make tomorrow better for all of us.”

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Seven students commit to teach local

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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.  

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Developing teaching skills through community engagement

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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.  

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More teachers than ever are leaving the profession

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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.”

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