College of Education News

MSU alumna awarded Outstanding Beginning Teacher Award

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Aimee Hendricks’ ability to help her students feel seen and cared for is one of many reasons she was recognized for her outstanding teaching.  

Hendricks received one of two Outstanding Beginning Teacher Awards awarded to MSU alumni during the March 1-2 Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education conference.  

“I feel truly honored to receive this award,” she said. “Educators everywhere are going above and beyond, and I have learned a lot within my first couple years of teaching.”  

Hendricks graduated from Missouri State University in May 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.  

Now, she is in her second year of teaching fourth grade at Daniel Young Elementary School in Blue Springs, Missouri.  

Being the teacher students need  

During her undergraduate studies, Hendricks learned about the value of teachers in students’ lives.  

“MSU showed me that teaching is not just about academics,” she said. “As teachers, we are also cheerleaders, mentors, advocates and more. Some days, you have to put academics aside and focus on showing students they are loved.” 

Hendricks’ favorite part of teaching is seeing the impact teachers can have on students.  

“My former students will come by my classroom still and talk about things they remember us doing, from read alouds to hands-on projects,” she said. “It’s amazing to create memories with students they will always remember.” 

Hendricks shows support for her students by attending their athletic events, music recitals and more. 

“It’s such a unique experience to see kids outside of school using one of their many talents, and it also shows that you care about them,” she said. 

Using her experience to help future educators 

For the past two years, Hendricks has virtually visited future educators in Dr. Rhonda Bishop’s course, Introduction to Elementary Education.  

“Aimee prepared and shared details about getting ready for the first day of school, setting up a classroom, parent communication and so much more,” said Bishop, assistant professor of childhood education and family studies at MSU. 

She also helps future teachers understand the difficulties and challenges of teaching but assures them that being an educator is worth it.  

“It has been an honor to watch Aimee grow from a student to a full-time educator. I appreciate her continued efforts to support future teachers by sharing her journey as a teacher,” Bishop said.

Hendricks is grateful for her experience with Bishop and others at Missouri State.  

“I’m incredibly thankful to have gone to such an amazing university and have amazing mentors, professors and colleagues,” Hendricks said.  

“Behind every impactful educator is a team building them up. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of the best.” 

Become a teacher at Missouri State 

MSU alum awarded Outstanding Beginning Teacher Award

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Receiving a teaching award is gratifying, especially early in your career. 

Missouri State University alum Brett Gilio began teaching on a provisional teaching license while simultaneously completing a master’s program in teaching.  

During his second year of teaching, Gilio was awarded the 2023 Outstanding Beginning Teacher Award by the Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE). He received the award as part of the MACTE conference in Columbia, Missouri March 2-3.  

“I feel deeply appreciative, as this award shows that people recognize the work I put into my students and the field of education,” Gilio said. “I’m deeply driven and always seeking to innovate and make the learning process meaningful and exciting.” 

Journey to teaching 

From Grain Valley, Missouri, Gilio spent his undergraduate time studying biology and chemistry, working both as a laboratory assistant for a research institute and in adolescent mental health. 

This prompted his switch to education, joining the MSU Master of Arts in Teaching program, where he specialized in science education. 

Now, he teaches general biology and earth science at William Chrisman High School in Independence, Missouri.  

“My favorite thing about being a science educator is the freedom that it gives me to introduce real world and contemporary issues in the science classroom,” Gilio said. “This includes skills like design, engineering, inquiry and problem-solving that students can then use in any other discipline for the rest of their lives. 

“Science is always relevant.” 

Gilio will always remember those who helped him along the way. 

“While at MSU, I was deeply connected with many fabulous educators who have supported me and cheered me on, such as Melanie Carden-Jessen, Dr. Julia Novakowski and Dr. Jamie Atkinson,” Gilio said. “I model my teaching style after these individuals.” 

Gilio was nominated for this award by Carden-Jessen. 

“Gilio has the manner, poise and skill of someone who has been in the classroom for a decade or more,” Carden-Jessen said. “He was an easy choice to nominate.” 

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Taking the leap to follow her passion

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Alumna Brittnie Morrison, ‘21, started at Missouri State University as a pre-nursing major.  

“As a first-generation student, everyone talked about how proud they were of me and how proud they were to say they were going to have a nurse in the family,” Morrison said.  

But in her third semester, she realized that she lost her passion for nursing.  

“I couldn’t help but feel like I was wasting my time and money working toward a goal I no longer cared about,” she said. 

She contemplated dropping out of college, but her job at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield took her in an unexpected direction.  

The switch to teaching 

As the semester progressed, Morrison learned that she loved working with kids. Her job became her escape from the stresses of college. 

“No matter how much stress I felt from my schoolwork, I always felt instant relief when I walked through the doors of the Boys & Girls Club,” she said. “That’s when I knew education was my calling.” 

Morrison changed her major to elementary education and began classes in spring 2019.  

“Once I changed my major, Missouri State became home,” she said. “I had my first practicum at York Elementary School. I walked out of the school and began crying because I knew I was in the right spot.” 

Morrison said that the professors in the College of Education went out of their way to make every student feel like they belong.  

“The passion they have for teaching is radiating,” she said. “There aren’t enough words to express how proud I am to be a bear.”  

Back to her roots 

Morrison completed her student-teaching and is now a fifth-grade teacher at the school district she went to for kindergarten through high school.  

“The Raymore-Peculiar community helped raise me,” she said. “I have so many amazing memories from Peculiar Elementary as a student, and now I get to make more as a teacher.”  

Teaching has been the most rewarding job she’s ever had. Her favorite part is building relationships with her students. 

“That’s truly why I teach. If I can make a difference in just one child’s life, then I am happy.”

Morrison feels that her time at MSU prepared her to be a successful teacher.  

“But it is tough. For anyone who is in an education program, I suggest they lean on their professors and peers,” she said. “They were always there for me when I needed clarification, and I am grateful for the experience.” 

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MSU alumna 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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Joan Armstrong inducted into the Marquis Who’s Who

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Joan Armstong, alumna and current staff member of Missouri State University, was recently inducted into the Marquis Who’s Who biographical registry.  

Armstong earned a Master of Science in school counseling from Missouri State in 1987. She is now the director of Project ACCESS, which offers training, resources and support services to school district personnel who serve students with autism and related developmental disabilities.  

The Marquis Who’s Who registry holds biographies of accomplished individuals and innovators from many significant fields including medicine, law and education.  

Read the full biography  

Congratulations, Ms. Armstrong!