Last Wednesday, a group of students from high schools across the state and the nation visited the Duane G. Meyer

Library at Missouri State University as part of the #BearsTeach initiative. The program aims to address the statewide teacher shortage by providing an immersion program on campus.

“It was focusing on what we have in [the library] and what they can use if they come here and choose to go into the college of Ed,” said Paige Harp, coordinator of Educator Resources. “We had a lot of fun.”

Roughly 40 students spent time in both Educator Resources, where they discussed books and investigated educational toys, and the Innovation Lab. 

“We had them make their own shirts with the heat press,” said Scott Fischer, library associate. “I made a design, printed it out on the vinyl cutter, weeded the cuttings, and laid them all out so kids could grab and go. It was an assembly line of awesomeness.”

The students also got to explore Virtual Reality technology and learn more about what is available in the lab.

The participants came from Ozark, Hillcrest, Branson, Fair Grove, Wentzville, Steelville, MVBT Liberty High School, Kirksville, Fort Zumwalt East, Marshfield, Pleasant Hope, Hermann, El Dorado Springs, Willard, St. James, Rolla, Parkway South, Republic, Farmington, Belle, Cuba, Lafayette, and as far away as Mississippi and Iowa.