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A father’s influence

November 6, 2020 by Sydni Moore

John Augustine stands near his research, displayed on a poster at a recent conference.

Missouri State University graduate student John Augustine grew up in the small town of Farmington, Missouri. There, he watched a role model—his own father—work as principal of an at-risk school.  

“He started his career as a special education teacher and later moved to administration,” Augustine said. “I specifically remember how connected he was to his students. He understood them, communicated effectively with them and provided them a positive educational experience.” 

His father made such an influence that Augustine found himself working with students in special education settings, too.  

“My father helped me understand how important it is to be a positive light in the classroom,” Augustine said.  

Augustine is now on track to receive a master’s degree in special education with an emphasis in autism spectrum disorders. Augustine’s pursuit of an additional autism spectrum disorders graduate certificate will bolster his expertise. 

“I love working in a school setting,” Augustine said. “My career goal is to consult schools and special education teachers to determine effective interventions for students with autism.” 

Real world practice 

Life as a graduate student at Missouri State gives Augustine just the experience he needs to follow in his father’s footsteps. On top of schoolwork, Augustine also works in an MSU-based clinic managed by Dr. Megan Boyle, associate professor of the counseling, leadership and special education department.  

At the clinic, Augustine takes on roles such as data-collector and therapist, implementing evidence-based practices to increase or decrease certain behaviors in students with autism.  

“Dr. Boyle does a great job in preparing students for their future in a clinical setting and teaching the importance of each task we complete,” Augustine said. “This is the type of job that requires you to learn. I hope to expand my knowledge to effectively implement strategies in my career.” 

John Augustine holds a toy firetruck for students at the clinic.
Augustine holds a toy truck children interact with at the clinic.

Resume boost 

Learning experiences in Augustine’s program don’t stop there. Students are also granted the option to study Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).  

Augustine said confirmation by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board will further enhance his resume.  

“If I’m able to accrue all my hours of study and pass a certification test, it will give me more opportunities to analyze data and make recommendations to improve target behaviors.” Augustine said. “I could change the lives of children with autism spectrum disorder or other disabilities.” 

Augustine is currently completing his thesis alongside Dr. Linda Garrison-Kane, another special education professor.  

“He has pursued numerous research and clinical opportunities during his undergraduate and graduate degree,” Garrison-Kane said. “His thesis focuses on the use of ICONNECT, a self-management technology application to assist in improving on-task academic behaviors in students with autism. 

Augustine hopes the technology will improve students’ academic accuracy across assignments. 

Empowered professional 

Augustine often thinks back on the role his father played in students’ lives.  

“Students who attended his school were in foster care or had been expelled from the other schools in the district,” Augustine said. “Although many did not have great home lives or a lot to look forward to, my father saw the capability of each student to progress in school and enjoy their education.” 

Augustine hopes to one day be as great of an influence.  

“I am trying to follow in his footsteps and create a better life for students—and maybe even one day change the world in some positive way.” 

Filed Under: COE Students, Special Education Tagged With: autism spectrum disorders ceritificate, John Augustine, Linda Garrison-Kane, Megan Boyle, Special Education, special education degrees

Uplifting others through music

September 24, 2020 by Sydni Moore

Matthew Ketteman dances in his music video with other Missouri State alumni.

Nothing can break the stride of Missouri State University alumnus Matthew Ketteman, Lee’s Summit’s 2020 Teacher of the Year.  

The Longview Farm Elementary music teacher, Ketteman recently created a back-to-school video for students. To the tune of artist Matthew Wilder’s 1983 hit, “Break My Stride,” Ketteman inspires pupils “to keep on movin’,” despite uncertainty surrounding education in the time of a pandemic.  

“This message has spread across Kansas City and beyond to encourage educators and students who are struggling through their back to school transitions,” Ketteman said. “It’s been wonderful seeing people react to the positive message we collaborated to create — even Governor Parson was uplifted.” 

Terrific teacher

Ketteman learned in July that he was selected to receive Lee’s Summit’s highest honor for teachers, according to the district’s website. He later applied to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for the 2021 State Teacher of the Year award. He was selected as one of seven finalists in August.  

Ketteman has since reached out to people and organizations that guided him throughout his career, he said. 

“My hope of reaching out to MSU is to encourage and thank the university for its excellent education and experiences,” Ketteman said. “It allowed me to prepare for this amazing occupation of bringing joy to children through music.”  

A collaborative effort 

Ketteman additionally recognized three MSU alumni who helped create and made appearances in his video. Shawn Harrel is a 2000 music education graduate and a digital media technology instructor for Lee’s Summit. Brandon Johnson is a 2003 music education graduate and the assistant director of bands for Lee’s Summit West High School.  

Ketteman also thanked his wife, Kimberly Ketteman, a 2005 communications graduate. Ketteman said his wife was heavily involved with him in helping found MSU’s a cappella groups, Beartones and A Cub Bella.  

 

Matthew Ketteman and his wife, Kim, during their Missouri State days.
Matthew and Kimberly Ketteman met during their days at Missouri State.

“We have not lived in Springfield since college, but it still feels like home whenever we return to visit,” Ketteman said.  

Ketteman thanked Missouri State for playing a vital part in his career. 

“As educators, we often don’t get to see the fruition of what we do,” he said. “What you do impacts the world. Thank you for being such a large part of mine.” 

A committee held virtual interviews with each Missouri Teacher of the Year finalist Sept. 1, according to the DESE website. The winner, finalists, semifinalists and Regional Teachers of the Year will be honored during an Oct. 15 event. The new Missouri Teacher of the Year will serve as the state’s nominee for the 2021 National Teacher of the Year. 

Filed Under: COE Alumni, Elementary Education Tagged With: A Cub Bella, Beartones, DESE, Elementary Education, Kansas City, Lee's Summit, Missouri State alumni, Teacher of the Year

Education, diversified

September 21, 2020 by Sydni Moore

The front of Hill Hall on Missouri State's campus.

The world of education is extremely diverse. No two students share the same background, culture and experiences. As a result, each can benefit from the perspectives of their peers. 

The College of Education aims to effectively teach culturally-diverse students—and prepare teacher candidates to do the same.  

“Diversity strengthens our community and enriches our lives,” COE Dean David Hough said. “It undergirds our many teacher preparation programs as we strive to develop educators who can teach all children.” 

A Missouri State student teacher helps a student in this 2017 photo.
A Missouri State student teacher helps a student in this 2017 photo.

Diversity initiatives 

Several COE diversity initiatives are in place to continue building a culturally-competent experience for pupils to come.  

  • Bear Partnership seeks to increase the number of COE students from underrepresented backgrounds. Last year, 17 students attended the week-long campus residential program. This summer, 29 students were scheduled to attend. Due to the pandemic, however, it could not take place.   
  • A recruiter in Mobile, Alabama, engages Black high school students to consider MSU for studying education.  
  • Dean Hough regularly travels to the University of Arkansas, Little Rock; the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff; the University of Memphis; Alabama State University; and the University of South Alabama, in an effort to recruit diverse faculty. The diverse faculty recruitment rate improved by 33% in the last six years.  
  • COE regularly finances six to eight faculty members to participate in a St. Louis diversity conference every year. 

Further details regarding COE’s diversity initiatives can be found on the Missouri State website.  

A Missouri State practicum student visits with high-schoolers in this 2017 photo.
A Missouri State practicum student visits with high-schoolers in this 2017 photo.

Faculty engagement 

Conversations surrounding diversity don’t stop there.  

Dr. Nathan Quinn is a senior instructor for the counseling, leadership and special education department—and part of MSU’s Educator Preparation Provider Council (EPPC). The council ensures education programs at the university meet state and national guidelines in preparing qualified school personnel.  

As chairperson for the EPPC’s diversity subcommittee, Quinn leads a team in examining diversity issues within the education department.  

“I believe we’re doing a good job, but we need to increase our diverse students within the College of Education,” Quinn said. “It’s a matter of continuing to identify those students to come to our university.”  

Dr. Dennis Rudnick, assistant professor in the reading, foundations and technology department, teaches Introduction to Multicultural Education. It’s a course requirement for MSU teacher candidates. Rudnick says the course plays an important role in diversity issues in education. 

“Its goal is to enable future teachers to become more aware of and responsive to these complex dynamics underlying education in the United States,” Rudnick said. “In return, they can best advocate for the students, schools and communities they will serve as professionals.” 

Dr. Elizabeth King, assistant professor in the child and family development department, added the college’s efforts to increase diversity requires continuous engagement.  

“If we’re doing it right, it’s not an initiative,” King said. “It’s sustained, active work in every space we hold.” 

Filed Under: COE Faculty, COE Students Tagged With: Bear Partnership, college of education, David Hough, dennis rudnick, diversity, Elizabeth King, nathan quinn

Increasing awareness: The dissonance of motherhood as a teacher

September 18, 2020 by Sydni Moore

Dr. Sarah Baker holds her daughter as she stands with her three sons.

Parents trust teachers to take care of their children. It’s a relationship built on trust and mutual desire to provide the best for the younger generation.

But how are teachers expected to care for others’ children when they lack the resources to support their own family lives?

Dr. Sarah Jean Baker, childhood education and family studies assistant professor, studied this dynamic for her dissertation. Specifically, she studied women school leaders who were also mothers and the challenges they faced in these identities.

With her background and personal experience, she helps teacher candidates understand the complexities of their future role.

Adding context

Teaching is often seen as a maternal, female role because of the historical conditions teaching developed within.

Prior to public education, most classrooms were led by men. After public education was established, however, there was an influx of students in the classroom. That meant a need for more teachers, which meant a need for a cheaper workforce.

“Instead of raising taxes to pay for more male teachers, single women were offered teaching positions, because they didn’t need the same income,” Baker said.

Women didn’t need a large salary, Baker added, since many communities also housed and fed their one-room schoolhouse teachers.

Later, once a woman married, she was expected to stay home and raise children, relying on her husband to make money.

“When we see that teachers’ salaries are low compared to other professions, that goes all the way back to the idea that an educator’s earnings were never intended to support a family,” Baker said.

Apart from teachers having low salaries, there are additional concerns when it comes to becoming a mother while being a teacher. Unpaid maternity leave, additional time commitments and finding substitutes while on leave are all real things teachers must navigate on their own.

Being a mother and a teacher

As a mother, former kindergarten and first-grade teacher and school leader, Baker understands the struggles that teachers encounter as they decide to start their own families.

“You see statistics that say women are anywhere between 75% or 85% of our nation’s teachers,” Baker said. “But there are not school policies and practices in place that support women in both roles of an educator and mother.”

“The ultimate goal of schools is to support child development in multiple ways,” Baker said. “Teachers want support in making sure they can give their own children quality time. They want support in raising their own children.”

Baker also wishes teachers received more support as qualified, valuable professionals.

“It’s all connected with how we raise up the profession,” Baker said. “Many teachers are already giving their all in their profession. Educators should feel dignified in the work that they’re doing.”

She believes teachers need to feel a higher value is placed on the work they do for their communities, like during the current pandemic, for example.

“It’s highlighted the important work they do for their communities. They should be paid more for their work,” Baker said. “It should be able to support their families.”

Dr. Sarah Baker giggles with her daughter.

What’s being done

Baker strives to educate teacher candidates about the complexities and historical context of women as teachers.

The subject holds a special place for her, because it was her dissertation topic as she pursued her doctoral degree. Since then, she’s continued to see the field evolve and learned more about the system mothers must navigate.

“I’m trying to help my students understand how to be advocates against policies that disadvantage teachers and students, too,” Baker said. “It’s important to be proactive about those policies. My students may not be thinking about maternity leave now, but they may need it a few years down the road.”

Baker said her own experience in her undergraduate program didn’t touch on those topics.

“I think that’s why it’s so important to me to bring those perspectives to them,” Baker said. “It’s important for them to really think about what all this might mean for their future.”

Filed Under: COE Faculty, Early Childhood and Family Development Tagged With: childhood education and family studies, education, mother, Sarah Baker, teacher

Building teacher candidates’ cultural understanding

July 28, 2020 by Sydni Moore

Dr. Jennice McCafferty-Wright sits in front of architecture in Morocco.

Missouri State University’s College of Education (COE) teacher candidates will soon connect with peers as far as North Africa through a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. The Virtual Exchange for Teacher Candidates program is made possible by a grant from the Stevens Initiative. 

“The Stevens Initiative is an international effort to build global competence and career readiness skills for young people in the United States and the Middle East and North Africa by growing and enhancing the field of virtual exchange,” a press release states. 

Missouri State is one of only 17 grantees to receive funding for a virtual exchange program. 

Promoting global understanding 

The Virtual Exchange for Teacher Candidates, in cooperation with Moroccan Regional Centers of Education and Formation, will build inclusive teacher education curricula that supports future teachers from Morocco and the United States as they learn with and from each other.  

The program will launch during the fall 2020 semester. The project’s coordinator is Dr. Jennice McCafferty-Wright, an assistant professor in the childhood education and family studies department. 

“The largest component of the project, an eight-week series of student dialogues, will be ready for students in our elementary social studies methods courses in September,” McCafferty-Wright said. “Other components of the exchange, such as an international colloquium series, will be open for the entire COE community. We’ll add more exchange features as the project grows.” 

While traditional, in-person exchange programs have been canceled, programs such as MSU’s will be a sustainable and accessible global learning tool.  

McCafferty-Wright said participating teacher candidates will build critical cultural understanding and literacies, as well as a commitment to global education. The program will help students enter careers with international, professional relationships to create their own virtual exchanges.  

“Teaching requires an understanding of the world. Connecting with teacher candidates in other parts of the world helps us better understand ourselves and our place in the world as educators,” McCafferty-Wright said. “Additionally, students with educators who teach for global understanding are better prepared for critical civic engagement in a diverse democracy.” 

Sharing knowledge 

Created in 2015, the Stevens Initiative is committed to expanding the virtual exchange field through three pillars of work: investing in promising programs, sharing knowledge and resources, and advocating for virtual exchange adoption.  

The Virtual Exchange for Teacher Candidates is supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute. The Stevens Initiative is also supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.

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Filed Under: COE Faculty, COE Students Tagged With: COVID-19, exchange program, grant, Jennice McCafferty-Wright, teacher candidates

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