Mathematics may not seem like it goes hand-in-hand with becoming a therapist, but Jamie Cayley knows he can put his problem-solving skills to good use by helping others.
In addition to his master’s in mathematics, Cayley is working toward a Student Mental Health, Family and Community Support Graduate Certificate to help him prepare for MSU’s clinical psychology graduate program.
Cayley’s aspirations and activism were recently featured in MSU’s mathematics blog.
Dr. Megan Boyle’s in-depth research into treatment options for children with autism spectrum disorders is featured in the 2021 issue of Mind’s Eye. The full story is available on the site now.
Here is an excerpt:
Wandering and bolting are both considered eloping – a term used for leaving an area without permission. It’s a problem behavior, especially for children with autism.
That’s why Dr. Megan Boyle, associate professor of special education at Missouri State University, researches the whys behind this largely under-studied behavior.
She’s a board-certified behavior analyst, runs a clinic for children with autism spectrum disorders and prepares the next generation of educators for behavior issues in the classroom.
Congratulations, Dr. Boyle!
Students in the College of Education at Missouri State always seek experiential learning opportunities. Now, two students in the special education program will take a closer look at the skills and attitudes that are needed to be teachers of students who are blind and visually impaired.
Kelsey Bink and Anne Chambers, graduate students in special education blindness and low vision emphasis, have been nominated for the 2021 Teachers of Tomorrow program.
Nominees will participate in a training program for teachers of blind and visually impaired students. The program will address the needs of and teach advocacy for students with blind and low vision in and out of the classroom.
The National Federation of the Blind describes Teachers of Tomorrow as “An immersive, professional development program that connects teachers of students who are blind and low vision to the lived experiences of blind people, equipping participants with knowledge about the skills and attitudes that can help students who are blind thrive in school and beyond.”
The training program began in January 2021 and will continue throughout the year.
Find out more about the National Federation of the Blind and Teachers of Tomorrow
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
Springfield Public Schools are celebrating the 2020 finalists for the district’s Teacher of the Year award. Missouri State University’s College of Education congratulates nominees Cary Sikes, Michelle Slominsky and Shannon Bossing—all alumni.
The college caught up with each of them to learn more about their experiences at Missouri State and their years as educators. The Teacher of the Year and other finalists will be recognized at an annual banquet in August by the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools.
Michelle Slominsky: I taught kindergarten my first two years of teaching, moved to first grade for seven years, and have been back with kindergarteners ever since. I teach all core subjects at Sequiota Elementary School.
Shannon Bossing: I currently teach fourth grade at David Harrison Elementary, but I’ve also taught grades one, two and three, as well as K-12 English as a second language, K-12 gifted learners, K-6 computers, and I was an assistant principal for two years.
During my second year in administration, I was diagnosed and treated for cancer, which led to a re–evaluation of my life, including my career path, and I decided to return to my passion as a classroom teacher.
I teach all core subjects, though I absolutely love teaching reading and writing.
Cary Sikes: I teach fourth grade — all four core subjects — at Wanda Gray Elementary.
Slominsky: I first came to Missouri State in 1998 to pursue a degree in early childhood education. I was so lucky to have amazing instructors that helped me achieve this goal in December 2002.
I met my husband at Missouri State, and we decided to make Springfield our home.
I returned to the school and completed my master’s in reading in 2007. Spring 2018, I completed my specialist in education, teacher leadership degree at — you guessed it — Missouri State University. I love MSU! I have taught in and around Springfield for 17 years.
Bossing: I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in education in December of 1994. After earning my first master’s degree from Drury in 1998, I returned to MSU for my second master’s degree and graduated in 2010. I’m finishing my 24th year in education.
Sikes: I graduated in May 1993. I’ve taught for 27 years.
Slominky: While meeting my husband is the highlight of my undergraduate time at Missouri State, I can honestly say that I had such a positive experience in all my courses.
I was able to do lots of observations at Greenwood Laboratory School, and I spent a lot of time working at the University Childcare Center in my free time.
I was a University Ambassador and enjoyed giving tours to prospective students and their families. I was also involved in Greek Life, serving as the membership chair for Delta Zeta.
Bossing: I really enjoyed my children’s literature class. I am not a fan of the fantasy genre, but my professor assigned “A Wrinkle in Time,” and I fell in love with that book. I also enjoyed my methods classes.
Sikes: Making lifelong friends and the educational experiences that prepared me to be a teacher.
Slominsky: I truly believe that teaching is my calling in life. I was so lucky to have amazing teachers in elementary school. While other kids would run to play outside at recess, I would beg my teachers to let me stay inside and do ‘teacher work.’
My fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Grieves, really stands out in my mind. She took the time to get to know me and was there during a difficult time in my life. It was then that I realized teaching was so much more than academics.
Teachers made a difference in my life, and there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to pay it forward someday.
Bossing: I came home from kindergarten and told my mom I was going to be a teacher when I grew up. It’s really the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do, except for when I wanted to be a fighter pilot after the release of “Top Gun.” I can’t imagine doing anything else!
Sikes: I wanted to work with kids, and I wanted to make a difference. Teachers were so important to me, especially my elementary teachers. I saw what they did for me and I wanted to do the same for others.
Slominksy: I had the opportunity to participate in one of the first student teaching academies in Ozark. It was beneficial, because I got a much deeper understanding of how students change and grow and how a school operates.
In my educational specialist program, I was provided rigorous, thought-provoking material that changed how I view education. Instead of sitting and learning about how to teach a certain concept, we had deep discussions about why we teach the concepts that we do.
Bossing: For my master’s degree, I was part of a cohort through MSU and Springfield Public Schools, and that was an amazing experience. I loved how the seated classes were directly connected to our district. I was in a cohort with about 10 people, and we became very close.
Sikes: I had some great professors and peers that made me the teacher I am today.
Slominksy: There are so many amazing moments as a teacher. I think the best moment as a teacher is when you can see that your students really know that you love them.
I’ve had students come in at the start of the year reluctant to receive love. They don’t want a hug and they look away when you smile at them. Seeing a child go from that type of behavior to walking in the door with a big smile on their face, and wrapping their arms around you for a hug, is a priceless reward.
Bossing: One of my all-time favorite memories happened at the reading table in my fourth-grade classroom. I was discussing a chapter book with a group and one student described a character as “diabolical.” I was so surprised a fourth-grader used such a word that I started laughing and couldn’t stop! We laughed until we cried!
Years later, I saw that student working at a restaurant. He looked at me, said the word again, and we were both transported instantly to that time at the reading table. It’s a memory neither of us will ever forget!
Sikes: It’s great to see students from years ago come back and see the path they have taken in their lives. A few years ago, I was in the hospital, and two former students were my nurses and took great care of me. It was amazing to watch.
With my current students, I love seeing how much they grow from the beginning of the year to the end. When you spend a year with a student, you grow close and are vested in them for years to come.
Slominsky: I think I am most proud of the strong relationships I build with students and their families. My classroom is truly my school family.
Bossing: Being a finalist for Teacher of the Year is quite an honor and will always be a favorite memory. It’s a privilege to be honored for doing something I love.
Additionally, it’s the moments when there are tears over a sad part in a book, or a student finally gets a concept, or when I sit with teammates on the last day of school and we sigh from exhaustion — but we know we did our best for that group of kids. That’s what makes me proud of being a teacher.
Sikes: I am proud of the relationships I develop with my students.
