A Legacy of Education: Teaching Excellence at All Levels

*JOURNEYS Magazine: Summer 2018

When Heather Walker '18, an Omaha mother of two and elementary and special education major, first stepped into a classroom at CSM, she was nervous. She knew she wanted to teach, but she felt a little uneasy.

“As a non-traditional student and mom of two working toward a second career, I felt the ‘true’ college experience had already passed me by and I missed out,” Walker recalls. “I began the program as someone with a desire and a passion but also with a bit of uncertainty whether or not I had what it would take to become a great teacher.”

However, as she interacted with the community and began making real connections with not only fellow students but also faculty members, her skills and confidence quickly caught up to her desire to lead.

“The program at CSM has helped me to evolve into a strong and confident educator,” she says. “The all-female environment is, I think, especially empowering as we are in this community with strong women leaders who serve as our role models and mentors, and we have this culture of building each other up and supporting one another.”

Now as she nears a December graduation and prepares to build her own classroom, she says it was that personal, inclusive setting and the chance to learn through experiences that calmed her nerves, built her confidence, and positioned her to lead.

“At CSM, you feel like an invaluable member of a large family, rather than just one in a sea of many,” she explains. “The faculty and staff know you, and not just your name and major, but really know who you are as a person, your aspirations, struggles and strengths.”

Like Walker, Payton Everett '18, a recent CSM elementary education graduate from Lincoln, started her studies with uncertainty. Before CSM she had attended several colleges as a physical education major. She decided to try out elementary education upon an advisor’s suggestion. She says the practice-driven structure at CSM showed her the decision to switch majors was the right one.

“Once I started getting my feet wet in the classroom, I found my passion for teaching in a general education classroom setting,” says Everett.

Walker and Everett are right when they identify CSM’s educational programs as uniquely hands-on. CSM undergraduate students average between 200 and 250 practicum hours – more than double the 100 hours required by the State of Nebraska. This is possible mainly because of the systems and relationships the program has developed.

In addition to partnering with community schools, the university teams with Girls, Inc. – a non-profit organization that provides girls ages five through 18 a safe place to go after school and in the summer. CSM students also work with Mercy House, a program that provides low-income housing for individuals with special needs, and the Spellman Child Development Center, a children’s learning and care facility located on CSM's campus. These many connections give students a chance to learn through doing while positively impacting the lives of others through service.

Everett explains, “It’s an excellent chance not just to be observing, but be teaching.”

Subsequently, the University's education department has transferred that same winning formula into its career-focused program: College of Saint Mary’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT). With this unique program, students can substitute as early as four weeks into the semester and are often hired as full-time teachers before officially graduating.

One alumna, Sarah Stratman M'17 of Omaha, experienced first-hand the life-changing elements of the program. Stratman didn’t know she wanted to teach until long after earning a bachelor’s degree in biology. A mother of six with kids ranging from age seven to 20, she first sparked an interest in teaching when she became involved in her youngest child’s preschool program. After calling up CSM’s program director, she realized the MAT program was her chance to get a teaching certificate and a master’s degree without having to drop everything else in her life.

“I heard about CSM’s accelerated teaching program and thought it would be a good fit— still being able to get my kids after school and be home with them during the summer,” Stratman recalls. “It was just a perfect fit for me.”

In fact, CSM’s MAT is specially structured for women and men who have packed schedules. The program blends both online and on-campus opportunities, combining flexibility with hands-on support.

“Most of the people that go through the program have part-time or full-time jobs,” Stratman explains. “I was able to work still part-time, take care of my kids after school and get all of my classes in.”

Perhaps even more appealing to her was how the program allows a student with a bachelor’s degree to obtain a master’s degree and a teaching certificate at the same time. This lets Stratman go from having a biology degree, without any undergraduate background in education, to teaching science full-time in just 18 months. She says the same successful structure that has become known within CSM’s undergraduate education programs – focused, relationship-driven courses and hands-on experience – sets MAT students up for success.

“To fit everything we needed to learn into that 18-month period, our professors were extremely efficient with what we were covering in class,” she says. “Thinking back, a lot of the things they were doing for us was modeling what good teaching was like. Not only were we learning about the theories of classroom management, but we also saw it in action.”

These standout features of the education programs at CSM are not mere coincidence. Department educators including Dr. Paula Peal and Dr. Dee Acklie actively work to enact programs that empower women, maximize growth and promote excellent leaders.

“We strive to continue to grow our programs without losing that personal touch,” says Dr. Acklie, associate professor of education. “We want each teacher candidate to reach their full potential. It is our job as a department to supply the tools needed to allow each person to excel.”

And it didn’t take long for Stratman to see another popular specialty among CSM education graduates first-hand: employability. She was able to get her provisional license and was hired into a full-time position months before officially receiving her MAT degree. Now she is teaching middle school science at St. Pius X/St. Leo Catholic School in Omaha.

Stratman’s quick transition into the career field is typical for CSM education students across the board.

“We expect our students to be excellent teachers, and the rate at which they are hired is very high,” says Dr. Peal, director of the teacher education program and assistant professor of education. “I have districts and principals telling me that they love having CSM students in their buildings because they know they will be outstanding teachers with a professional attitude.”

CSM provides a range of undergraduate education majors, including early childhood, elementary, secondary, special education and K-12 education. Undergraduates can also choose a middle school endorsement for both elementary and secondary majors and supplemental endorsements in English as a second language, reading and writing, and coaching. CSM’s Master of Arts in Teaching features three emphases: elementary education and English as a second language, middle school and secondary education, and special education. CSM also features an online Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership with new cohorts starting each August.