Sikeston grad named Cadet Teacher of the Year

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Ever since she was 5 years old, Callie Fansler has dreamed of being a teacher.

As a child, she used a dry-erase board and taught her imaginary students the ABCs, shapes and numbers.

Now, at 18, the 2016 Sikeston High School graduate is making her dream a reality.

Last month, Fansler began her first college semester with a 17-hour course load at Southeast Missouri State University's Sikeston campus, where she is majoring in early-childhood education.

Fansler recently was named Missouri's 2016 Cadet Teacher of the Year for the Future Teachers of America.

She will receive a $300 scholarship and recognition at the state FTA meeting next month in Columbia, Missouri.

"I don't think we have ever had a Sikeston student win this award," said Tammy Eifert, FTA adviser at Sikeston High School. "This is huge. Callie was a member of FTA for three years. Over the time I worked with her, she has shown incredible poise and drive to succeed, not only as a student, but as a teacher. I am beyond proud of her."

During her senior year, Fansler spent the last hour of her day serving as a cadet teacher at the Sikeston Fifth and Sixth Grade Center under teacher Danielle Staple.

"I assisted in classrooms and worked with students," Fansler said.

The 18-year-old admitted she wanted to work with kindergarten students, but working with the students at the Fifth and Sixth Grade Center also proved rewarding.

"It reassured me that's what I wanted to do. When you say you want to be a teacher, they say, 'Why would you want to do that?' It made me know it's what I really wanted to do," Fansler said.

To be a cadet teacher, Fansler said she had to meet certain requirements, such as being a member of FTA and maintaining her academics and attendance.

Additional assignments also were included.

"We had to write research papers once or twice a month about different topics in the education field and in college and career opportunities. We had to interview other teachers -- one with master's degree and a teacher that sponsored an extracurricular activity," Fansler said.

In the spring, she filled out an application for the honor and scholarship.

"I applied for it, and they have you write a letter and talk about your career interests," said Fansler, who is the daughter of Mike and Deanna Fansler. "I really didn't think I would get it, since most scholarships had already been awarded."

But the MSTA officials had taken note of Fansler.

"We received her application, and it was one of the ones that definitely stood out. Callie is an up-and-coming teacher, and we wanted to reward her for that," said Aurora Meyer, spokeswoman for MSTA.

For Fansler, that was a way to get firsthand classroom experience as a teacher, Meyer said.

"In her application, Callie said it was one of the of the best experiences of her life and (made her) absolutely certain about her career. The program gave her that reassurance," Meyer said.

Meyer said she did not have specific numbers of how many applications were received, but each of the 65 FTA chapters in the state that offer cadet teaching can submit one candidate for Cadet Teacher of the Year.

"One of the things we look for is the whole picture of what being a teacher involves. It's not just standing in front of the classroom and teaching -- it's about building relationships, and Callie included that, which is what made her application stand out," Meyer said.

As a member of Sikeston High School's FTA, Fansler served as chapter secretary and vice president, and she later served on the district level as historian.

She also received the Southeast Missouri District FTA scholarship and the Sikeston Community Teacher's Association scholarship.

Her other high-school memberships included DECA, Link Crew, FBLA, Red Peppers, National Honor Society and Foreign Language Club.

Fansler plans to pursue a career as a kindergarten teacher. She said she'll teach with her bachelor's degree and then get a master's degree.

If given the opportunity to teach in a small town similar to Sikeston, Fansler said she would.

"I really want to help people, and teaching is a career that I can do that," she said.