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 

From kindergarten to college

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The teaching profession is more than educating students. It is also about building meaningful relationships that impact both the teacher and the students.  

Allison Kramer built a special relationship with her kindergarten teacher, Linda Wolff, that she carried with her throughout her education. When Allison was in eighth grade, she nominated her for the Golden Apple Teacher Award. Mrs. Wolff sent a letter to Allison to thank her and encourage her to consider attending Missouri State University. 

Allison is now in her third year at Missouri State. She recently re-discovered the letter from Mrs. Wolff in her old memories box. She knew her favorite teacher would be thrilled that she attended Missouri State after all and decided to send her a letter by mail.  

“I was so excited to send her a letter telling her I chose MSU. I also wanted to tell her that my current roommate was also in her kindergarten class with me,” Allison said. After three attempts, Allison finally found the correct mailing address. 

The letter Mrs. Wolff sent in response was filled with stories of her experience at Missouri State. She wrote that she thought everything Allison was doing at Missouri State was awesome, and Allison plans to write back to her to tell her to visit the campus again.  

Mrs. Wolff and Allison made a connection that’s lasted for many years. Teachers have the power to inspire and encourage students to achieve their personal and professional goals, just as Mrs. Wolff did for Allison.  

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!  

Serving individuals with autism

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Finding your passion within a field can make all the difference in motivating you to pursue your dreams.  

As a freshman at Missouri State University, Taylor Janota worked as a nanny for a young boy who had autism. In this role, she observed certified speech language pathologists, physical therapists and behavioral analysts as they worked with their client.  

Janota working in her role as a board-certified behavior analyst

“This little boy didn’t have any way of communicating with others, but we were able to work with him to build that skill set,” Janota, now a board-certified behavior analyst for Emergent Learning Center in St. Louis, Missouri said. “It was cool to see the collaborative process and the critical thinking that had to happen in order to set this child up for success.” 

With a passion for autism and language, Janota pursued her bachelor’s in speech language pathology and started in a graduate program.  

She soon discovered that she missed the behavioral side of working in therapy, so she refocused her graduate path to a master’s in special education with an autism emphasis.  

She also set her sights on applied behavior analyst (ABA) credentials, which she could prepare for with the experiences from her graduate program.  

Professional experiences  

As a graduate student, Janota worked closely with her professors, collaborated across departments and did practicums in school and clinical settings.  

“I was able to conduct research and do a lot of different things within the realm of autism,” Janota said. “I got experience working with kids, practicing intakes and data collection – all the skills that I use now in my career.”  

The ABA credentials are acquired after passing a national certification exam, which is taken separately from the typical classwork.  

“The exam is known as ‘the beast,’ and it is a little nerve-racking,” Janota laughed. “It definitely took some studying, but I was very surprised with how well prepared I felt for it.” 

Celebrating little victories  

In her career, Janota has learned to appreciate growing with her clients.  

“When you’re going into this field, you are going to learn a lot about these individuals who you’re serving and you’re going to learn a lot about yourself,” Janota said. “I’m someone who likes to see progress quickly, but I’ve realized that’s not life.” 

Janota works consistently with the same clients in a clinical setting, so she gets to see her clients in each step of their journey.  

“This work has given me a new lens for looking at progress,” Janota said. “Even if it’s just a little bit of progress, that’s progress, and that’s something to be celebrated.” 

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