The moment it hit me

My name is Dallas Hall, and my hometown is Conway, MO. I’ve lived in Conway my whole life and graduated from Conway High School. I am a senior at Missouri State University-Lebanon obtaining a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.

When I was a junior in high school, I completed the A+ Scholarship Program at a preschool and I loved every minute of it. When my time working with preschoolers ended, it made me upset to think that this was the last time I would be helping these students. At that moment, I realized that pursuing a teaching degree after high school was the right career path for me. After high school, I worked part-time in a preschool/daycare here in Lebanon. I have also completed many student practicums at different elementary schools in the Laclede County area. Working in childcare and having these opportunities to help students in classrooms has taught me a lot and has shown me how important it is for children to have positive role models in their lives. This is the main reason why I want to become an elementary teacher. I hope to make every student that comes into my classroom excited to come back tomorrow. It’s a great feeling to be a role model that students look up to and are excited to see every day.

Amazing experiences at MSU-Lebanon

As I am wrapping up my time here at Missouri State-Lebanon, I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this campus. I love that I was able to attend Ozark Technical Community College here in Lebanon with my A+ Scholarship and transfer right down the hall to MSU. I have learned many skills being here as a student ambassador and as the outreach facilitator. With all the scholarships available for MSU-Lebanon students to apply for, I will graduate with my bachelor’s degree without having to use student loans! At this campus, I get to be in a cohort, which is a small setting with students, and I have a more personal learning experience with the instructors. I have gotten to know my peers and we help each other out through our schooling. We are always giving advice and tips to help one another with making lesson plans. I love getting the opportunity to do student practicums and learning from teachers teaching in the grade levels I want to teach one day.

“For anyone that is interested in becoming an elementary teacher, I strongly encourage you to come to MSU-Lebanon! It has been an amazing experience and I’m so grateful that I am able to obtain my bachelor’s degree in elementary education close to home.”

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