Elementary education student receives state teaching honor, values Northwest classroom preparation

Elementary education student receives state teaching honor, values Northwest classroom preparation

Northwest Missouri State University student Reese Walker was in the midst of teaching her third-grade class at Mid-Buchanan Elementary School on April 13 when her school principal appeared at the classroom door with the dean of the University's College of Education, Health and Human Services and a representative of Missouri Teacher Leaders of Tomorrow.

Unbeknownst to Walker until that moment, the leaders at her door were there to celebrate her with a Missouri Teacher Leaders of Tomorrow Award, an annual honor dedicated to supporting and encouraging the next generation of teachers.

"Reese Walker is an amazing, talented and caring teacher," the dean, Dr. Tim Wall, said. "All of us at the Northwest Missouri State education programs are thrilled that her extraordinary teaching is recognized as a Leader of Tomorrow recipient. This esteemed group includes many Bearcat graduates and denotes classroom excellence and the ability to pour into students to enrich their learning. All of Northwest is truly proud; we're all so very proud to have had a part in Reese's preparation."

Loes Hedge, a retired educator after 24 years of teaching in the St. Joseph School District and a Missouri Teacher Leaders of Tomorrow honoree in 1996, presented Walker with a certificate of recognition, a plant and cookies for her students. Wall gifted Walker with a bag of Northwest items.

The children in Walker's classroom squealed with joy and pride for their teacher.

"I was very excited and very honored," Walker said. "I don't think at the time I realized how big of a deal it was, and then I went home and I looked it up and I was like, 'Oh my gosh.'"

Walker, who graduates this spring from Northwest with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in elementary education, added, "It was just good to know that what I'm going to do is going to make an impact and people see that."

A native of Stewartsville, Missouri, she began teaching at Mid-Buchanan last fall as part of Northwest's residency practicum program and has continued there this spring as a long-term substitute teacher for a full-time teacher on maternity leave.

For next fall, Walker has secured employment as a fourth-grade teacher at Minnie Cline Elementary School in Savannah, Missouri.

Walker takes pride in all she has accomplished at Northwest after a period when her pathway to a teaching career wasn't so clear. She transferred to the University as a sophomore student after spending one year at a larger state school, which she quickly realized was not a good fit for her. At that time, she debated quitting college altogether.

"I got there, and I realized, 'OK, this is actually not exactly what I wanted,'" Walker said of her first year at the other school. "So when I knew I was transferring back home, there was no question. I didn't even look at schools. I automatically knew I was going to Northwest, especially for the field that I'm in. I know their education program is top-notch."

At Northwest, Walker quickly gained valuable profession-based experience in its Horace Mann Laboratory School and Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families - which provide students with opportunities to work with children ranging in age from 6 months to sixth grade. She also was involved with K.I.D.S., an organization in the School of Education that plans monthly activities for elementary-aged children and Northwest "buddies."

Walker says her Northwest experience exceeded her hopes, and she had no reservations about stepping into her role at Mid-Buchanan because of the way the School of Education prepared her to manage a classroom on her own.

She gained experience at all classroom levels, allowing her to observe differing teaching styles and the varied ways children learn.

"As soon as I came to Northwest, the very first class I was (in Horace Mann) - and that's sophomore year, so that's very helpful," Walker said. "You get down in the classroom as soon as you possibly can, which is really the best experience. The only way that you can get really prepared for teaching is by getting into it and just doing it."