College of Education News

Cheery Charlie and child life

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Avi Adler was lying unconscious underneath a truck when his family found him in June 2020.  

A delivery truck driver had reversed without looking, striking Avi on the 20th mile of his bike ride. After the accident, the 18-year-old was rushed to the hospital, where he awoke with broken bones and a concussion.  

A child life specialist helped Avi while he was hospitalized, making him and his family feel calmer and at ease. 

Missouri State University student Tamar Adler was inspired by how much the specialist helped her brother through his traumatic injury. 

“The accident changed Avi, and it also changed me,” Tamar said. “It made me realize I wanted a career that benefits other people.”     

Since the accident, Avi has fully recovered. Tamar changed her career trajectory from fashion to child life.   

Bringing joy with Cheery Charlie 

Tamar Adler and Charlie smiling.Tamar had to think outside the box to find ways to volunteer in this field since it was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I started making craft bags and donated them to the child life departments at local St. Louis hospitals as a way to volunteer from home,” Tamar said. “The bags help kids be creative and experience normalcy while in the hospital.” 

She named her volunteer project Cheery Charlie and turned it into an official Missouri nonprofit corporation.  

“I chose the name because I had just gotten a puppy named Charlie, and Charlie makes me cheery,” she said.  

Since the inception of Cheery Charlie in January 2021, Tamar has donated over 6,000 craft bags to children in St. Louis hospitals.   

Tamar won the St. Louis Jewish Light 2022 Unsung Hero Award for her time, service and commitment to the St. Louis Jewish community through Cheery Charlie. 

Learn more about Cheery Charlie

Furthering her passion through education 

Tamar enrolled in Missouri State’s online child life graduate program two years after her brother’s accident.  

She plans to graduate in May 2027. As a future child life specialist, Tamar will help children and their families deal with the challenges of trauma, loss, long-term illness or injury and more.  

She said the knowledge she has gained about child life through her program has been invaluable for her future and nonprofit.  

“Being able to study child life at MSU while working on Cheery Charlie has been so powerful to me,” Tamar said. 

“My time at MSU has only allowed me to love child life even more.”

Despite the program being online, Tamar feels a great connection to her fellow child life students and her advisor, Dr. Lindsey Murphy.  

“Tamar is a natural,” said Murphy, assistant professor of childhood education and family studies at Missouri State.  

“She exudes joy and many characteristics and skills needed to be a great child life specialist. I have no doubt she will continue to touch many patients, families and staff throughout her career.” 

Explore child life studies 

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 

Effective assessments in an era of accountability

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Each aspect of a college campus contributes to the success of its students.  

Professionals in the field of student affairs in higher education (SAHE) partner with academic affairs units on different campuses to create holistic collegiate experiences that support undergraduate student success that results in degree attainment.  

Since 2015, the Division of Student Affairs (DOSA) and the SAHE Program have partnered to hold a campus wide assessment symposium which features academic work completed by SAHE students at MSU.  

“Students in our master’s program learn about the different assessment evaluation tools they can use to assess the effectiveness of campus units and how they contribute to undergraduate student success,” explained Dr. Gilbert Brown, SAHE program director.  

“The symposium helps our new professionals gain skills that are needed in the workplace, and it contributes to the office of student affairs here at MSU.”   

The assessment symposium  

Graduate students in the SAHE program present their research at the assessment symposium as part of their academic requirements.  

“Our first-year students develop an assessment protocol for trying to determine the effectiveness of a unit and our second-year students have completed their project,” Brown said.  

“When our students graduate from MSU, they’re ready to hit the ground running when they are hired by another university.” 

A second year SAHE student presenting at the 2022 assessment symposium

Skills for success

Brown knows both the ropes and the challenges that new SAHE professionals face as they enter the field.  

“We have to improve our understanding of how to use social media to make sure undergraduate students have good experiences on campus,” Brown explained.

“Universities often have limited resources, so having evidence of effectiveness is necessary to point to what is working.”

The skills SAHE students gain through the assessment symposium allow them to contribute to undergraduate student success on the MSU campus and wherever their future career takes them.     

The success of the assessment symposium points to the preparedness of the students within the program, as well as the professional collaboration that takes place at MSU.  

“The Division of Student Affairs here on campus and our academic program work well together to prepare the next generation of student affairs professionals,” Brown said. “I’m pleased with the professional partnership we have with our colleagues.”    

Explore the SAHE program

Removing barriers for teachers in training

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Certified teachers are needed in many schools in Missouri right now.  

College graduates with a bachelor’s degree can earn a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) to become a certified teacher. But, it can be difficult to turn down or leave a full-time job to earn a master’s degree.  

MSU recently shifted their MAT coursework completely online. Now, students can earn their master’s degree while working full-time or while working in the classroom with a provisional teaching certificate.  

“With an online program, we’re able to work around barriers while maintaining an academically rigorous program,” said Dr. Pamela Correll, program coordinator for the MAT. “Students are accomplishing two huge milestones with the MAT – a master’s degree and teacher certification.”  

The MAT program is among five MSU online master’s degrees ranked in the top 10 across the nation.  

Teachers in training  

A provisional teaching certificate gives students the benefit of a full-time job and allows school districts to fill vacancies two years earlier.     

“A student can work through our teacher certification office to gain a provisional teaching certificate from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). After that paperwork is processed, they can begin working in the classroom,” Correll said.  

Students who want to earn their MAT can complete the program from anywhere in Missouri.  

“The 75 hours of required observation and student teaching are completed in the school where they are working,” Correll said. “So, they’re earning a salary and are considered to be the teacher of record while they earn both a master’s degree and their regular teacher certification.”  

Creating a plan  

The MAT program is designed to be completed in two years. Mary Bohlen, academic advisor in the College of Education, works with students to create a plan that is suited to their needs.  

“This program is responding to the question ‘what does the world we live in require from us?’ And then, ‘how can we offer that to students?’” Bohlen said.  

“We need a lot of great teachers in this state, and this program works hard to remove obstacles that keep people from becoming great teachers.”  

Explore the MAT program

Responding to mental health trends

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According to the American Psychological Association, suicide rates rose at an alarming rate over the past two decades.  

This is a trend that Robin Farris, licensed counselor and director of Missouri State University’s Center City Counseling Clinic (CCCC), observed over the past decade. 

“We used to tell students ‘You might see suicidal issues in a semester,’” Farris said. “Now, we tell students ‘You WILL see clients with suicidal ideation every week.’”  This has increased so much that students now take a mandatory training in suicide prevention before they even start working with clients. 

The clinic is a community outreach of the department of counseling leadership and special education at MSU. 

Missouri State master’s level students obtain direct client contact experience by providing counseling sessions to adults, teens, children and couples at the clinic under the supervision of licensed instructors. 

“We are proud of our ability to assist between 80-90 people per week with their emotional struggles and mental health issues,” said Farris. “For many of our clients, it’s a service they just couldn’t afford if not for the clinic’s sliding scale policy. We won’t turn away anyone because of an inability to pay.”  

Learn more about the Center City Counseling Clinic 

Mental health concerns 

Mental health is a complex issue, specifically when considering the recent uptick in anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation 

“There is so much rapid change with technology and so much crisis with the whole world – environmentally, economically and politically,” Farris said. “So much of that stress is felt by people in their day to day without them being consciously aware of it.”  

While the recent pandemic has brought these issues to the forefront, the trend existed before quarantine and social distancing protocols.  

“People are so frantic for life, meaning and connection,” Farris said. “They don’t know which way to go, so they’re just crashing.” 

Negative stigmas around mental health care still exist, but attitudes are becoming more compassionate thanks to better education about mental health.  

“It’s not just about physical and spiritual health. There’s also mental and emotional health,” Farris said. “To be a healthy, well-rounded person, we need to be as balanced and healthy as we can across these categories.” 

Making a difference  

The Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredits the counseling program. This gives students a leg up in their job search after graduation.  

In addition to receiving training through an accredited program, MSU students learn to navigate a variety of intense concerns that shape the role of counselors. 

Farris said the Center City Counseling Clinic is known for its warm, inclusive environment and receives positive feedback each semester in their anonymous surveys of clients. 

“I’m always proud to pass positive feedback on to students,” she said. “They may be in their early stages as counselors, but they are making a difference.” 

Access campus mental health resources 

Explore degrees in counseling