Elevating education

Karen Cooling ’06, ’20 MAEd, ’24 MSEd knew that Mount Mercy University’s master courses were the next step needed towards a bright future.

Going into education was not always Karen’s plan. In high school, her math teacher suggested she do a teaching job shadow because she was already a math tutor at the time.

Although Karen did a job shadow with a flower shop and veterinary clinic, the elementary teacher’s job caught her eye. Karen loved helping out in classrooms so much that she would go to field days in elementary schools even when her classes did not require them.

Karen chose to pursue her undergraduate degree at Mount Mercy because she appreciated the smaller community.

After her graduation, Karen knew she wanted to take the next step in her education.

“I was ready for additional learning,” said Karen. “I knew I wanted to get to the next level, so I needed to get my master's.”

Karen returned to pursue her Master of Arts in Education. She chose Mount Mercy because she loved her professors, wanted to see familiar faces, and was ready to advance her career.

“I chose the effective teaching emphasis because I thought I might want to be in administration someday,” said Karen. “I felt it was the next stepping stone in my level of education.”

Karen’s classes have allowed her to reach more students by structuring the lesson plans in a way that assists struggling students. She could also stay more focused on the standards and purpose of what she was teaching.

“A lot of what I learned in class I could apply right away,” said Karen. “It has allowed me to take the kids to a deeper level.”

Although these classes were online, Karen still felt close to the people in her class. Meeting online allowed her to attend class wherever needed. This flexibility made it easier to balance school and life with coaching and her three children’s events.

“I still had a connection with my classmates,” said Karen. “I didn’t feel like I was just sitting there watching the computer and getting information.”

To this day, Karen still keeps in contact with classmates from all three programs. She enjoys meeting up, checking in, and bouncing ideas off one another.

After talking with her administration, team, and other district personnel, Karen felt that it would be beneficial to receive her Master of Science in Education. This program would allow her to get her principal endorsement, which would help with her goal of being in administration.

“I have been very involved with district work and have worked with our administrators closely, so I feel like that is my next step,” said Karen.

Going to Mount Mercy for the third time was an easy decision for Karen because she appreciated the education programs' setup. It made her teaching position and education feel seamlessly combined.

“I didn’t feel like I was taking a class just to check a box,” said Karen. “I felt that I could apply what I was learning in class right away.”

Karen has integrated things she learned during her courses into her classroom at Harding Middle School, such as Flipgrid, backward design, and cultural learning.

“I was able to learn things at night and apply it to class the next day.”

Some advice Karen has for current education students is to make connections with classmates. There were times after she graduated with her undergraduate degree when she needed someone to talk to who could relate to being a first-year teacher.

Overall, Karen wants students to know that even though they may feel like some classes are unnecessary, there are things you can apply from every course along the way.

In the future, as an administrator, Karen hopes to be able to provide a support system that builds camaraderie and high levels of learning.

“I hope to build a positive culture with teachers,” said Karen. “I want to create a cohesive culture that brings us all together instead of it being administration versus the teachers.”

Going through two master's and an undergraduate program was a huge stepping stone in Karen's career because it provided many opportunities for her bright future.