91´«Ă˝

Discovering she wanted to be a teacher was a surprise to Mary Helon Hays, but an 91´«Ă˝ online program through the university’s Center for Distance Education is helping her embark on what she now describes as her “life’s work.”

Hays completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Mississippi State in 2015, having always been intrigued with the study of the mind and behaviors. 

“Trying to understand how people think, act and feel – especially children – fascinated me,” Hays said. “I always thought I wanted to work with children, but not as a teacher.” 

Her bachelor’s degree allowed her the chance to substitute teach in a class of second graders for an extended period.

While the first week was a bit chaotic, Hays said she soon got her act together as she became accustomed to the teacher’s role.

Standing in front of the class, Hays realized she loved what she was doing. As her time substitute teaching drew to an end, she did not want to leave the children. Thankfully, another opportunity opened and she was hired as an assistant teacher alongside the dyslexia therapist for the West Point School District.

Working with children in this capacity cemented Hays’ plans. She decided to enroll again at 91´«Ă˝ to work toward an online bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a concentration in early childhood. She also made plans to follow this goal with a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in dyslexia therapy.

Hays saw her psychology degree as the perfect foundation for this new path.

“Education is the shaping of behavior, while psychology is the study of how, when and why to shape behaviors,” she explained. “The combination has proven to be beneficial as I work with young people struggling with dyslexia.”

Hays explained dyslexia as a neurological process disorder that makes it hard for children to master sounds and relate letters and words.

“There are so many children I love to see and work with every day. Fireworks go off in their eyes each time they make progress,” Hays said. Her passion was apparent as she described one little boy who continually struggled with sounds, which caused him significant frustration.

“We worked and worked! Then one day everything clicked into place for him and he began running through his sounds with ease,” Hays said. “It was hard to tell who was more excited—him or me! When you see things click for a student, that is when you know you have done something meaningful.”

Hays said being able to work toward her degree online has been key.

“Quitting my job and going back to school was never an option for me,” Hays explained. “If not for the 91´«Ă˝ online elementary education program, teaching would be an unrealized dream.”