New Education Professor

by Beth Hurt    

If Assistant Professor Christine McCoy were a color, she would be a bright one.  Personable and friendly, McCoy is very approachable, a characteristic that is undoubtedly appreciated by her students.

This is McCoy’s first semester at DSU, where she teaches two reading classes, Teaching for Diversity, and Education of Exceptional Learners. So far, McCoy seems quite satisfied with her position at Dickinson State. “I’m enjoying DSU a lot.  It’s stretching me professionally, and I am enjoying that fact.”  McCoy is also pleased with the students at DSU, stating that they are friendly, polite, and make good conversation in class.  McCoy is also very appreciative of the support available for new faculty members. “Everything has been very positive,” she said.              

McCoy grew up on a farm in Southern Minnesota as the oldest of 11 children. She originally decided to pursue a degree in Theatre after participating in plays in high school.   It was through her college theatre experience that McCoy met her husband when the two were cast as brother and sister in a production.  McCoy eventually graduated from Southwest State University in Minnesota with a degree in Speech and Theatre and a degree in Secondary Education.  In 1987 she went back to school in Maine and began work on her Elementary Education and Special Education degrees.              

Throughout her career as a teacher, McCoy has taught at a variety of locations, including Indiana, Maine, Florida, and South Dakota.  With her late husband being involved in the radio industry, McCoy and her family found themselves traveling a lot.  McCoy stated that her experiences in teaching African American students and Native American students were very different.  She said that it was a life lesson on how to deal with diversity and that it gave her a greater understanding of fairness.               

Dr Glashan, Chair of the Teacher Education Department was quite emphatic about her experience with diversity: “She was the most qualified.” He said McCoy’s experience in teaching students of diverse races as well as her experience in teaching students from poverty conditions and students with learning disabilities was definitely a deciding factor in the hiring process. Glashan also expressed enthusiasm for McCoy’s background in Reading.  “In the Reading area, it is much more difficult to find qualified applicants.  Reading is her genuine specialty.”              

Frankie Schoonover, a student in McCoy’s Education for Exceptional Learners class, said that “she is fun to take class from.  You can tell she loves what she does.”              

Currently McCoy is working on completing her doctorate through the University of South Dakota and plans to accomplish that soon.  “I’m a person who loves to learn,” McCoy says.  While that may be so, it is also very clear that Christine McCoy is one individual who was born to teach.