Superwoman: Crissey Juggled Work, Family, Studies to Earn Ph.D. from USM
Wed, 12/13/2023 - 02:19pm | By: David Tisdale
Clark Kent’s transformation into Superman makes for entertaining fiction. But his real-life female counterpart, Dr. Jennifer Crissey, leapt multiple tall tasks in a single bound pursuing her doctorate at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM).
The Jackson, Mississippi native picked up her diploma during the fall 2023 commencements at the university after juggling a seemingly impossible schedule while working on her Ph.D. in Science and Mathematics Education through USM’s Center for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education.
A full-time mathematics teacher at Germantown High School in Gluckstadt, Mississippi, Dr. Crissey balanced her work as an educator and duties as a new mom, while taking classes both in-person at the USM Hattiesburg campus and online.
“I feel fantastic after reaching this milestone,” she said. “It truly feels as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”
This year marks Dr. Crissey’s 16th as an educator; she spent her first four years teaching third grade, then four years working with middle school gifted students. The last eight have been in the high school math classroom teaching geometry, while also serving as faculty sponsor for Mu Alpha Theta and coaching the girls powerlifting team.
“Teaching high school students has been so much fun,” she said. “Most of my students are in 10th grade, so they’re at the age of getting their driver’s license and newfound independence. It can be difficult to get them focused on math when they’d rather be anywhere else. Many students have decided by 10th grade that they ‘love or ‘hate’ math, and my goal is to help them love it more if they love it, or hate it less if they hate it.
“And coaching has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my career. Powerlifting teaches so many lessons about perseverance and doing more than you thought you could. The girls have been able to watch me do this as I juggle teaching, coaching, being a student, and becoming a mom, allowing me to model perseverance for them. I can only hope I inspire them to challenge themselves and achieve their goals.”
After earning bachelor’s, master’s, and specialist degrees at Mississippi State University, Dr. Crissey wanted to take the next in pursuit of a Ph.D. She investigated graduate programming in USM’s Center for STEM Education and discovered what she was looking for.
“USM was the first place I found offering something more specific to suit my needs, the Science and Mathematics Education Ph.D.,” she said. “I was able to do all my content hours in math to get the mathematics emphasis. That really drew me in because no other university offered anything like it.”
All that was left to do was make it work.
“Being a part-time doctoral student and a full-time teacher was challenging at times, especially when you factor in that I don’t live in Hattiesburg, so not only was I a doctoral student but also a distance student,” she said. “This made course selection challenging at times because I couldn’t take a regular Tuesday-Thursday math class from 9-11 a.m.
“I had some great opportunities offered from USM faculty to participate in online classes or independent study classes, allowing me to learn math and mathematics education from two hours away.”
As a distance student, Dr. Crissey took as many online courses as she could, but her research statistics classes had to be face-to-face, requiring her to spend two consecutive semesters travelling to Hattiesburg once a week after working a full day of teaching.
“I’m not much of a night owl so my husband, Chris, worried about me driving Highway 49 late at night to get home,” she explained. “He rearranged his schedule to ride with me to Hattiesburg for class each week so he could drive home.”
Then there was the small matter of welcoming into the world a baby boy during the home stretch of completing her dissertation.
“My son was born a month early, so all my plans of getting certain things finished before he arrived didn’t go the way I anticipated,” she recounted. “But with the help and encouragement of my husband, family, friends, and professors, I was able to figure out how to manage my time to get it done.”
Those faculty mentors who helped the newly minted Ph.D. do just that included Dr. Rachel Giselwhite; Dr. Anna Wan; and Dr. Julie Cwikla, director of the Center for STEM Education.
- “Dr. Gisewhite was my advisor and would meet with me through Zoom when I couldn’t come to her office. She helped me find the courses I needed to meet the requirements for my degree, but also courses I was interested in. She would help me stay on top of deadlines and forms that needed to be submitted, and calmed the stormy seas when I was stressed and panicked.”
- “Dr. Wan stepped out of her comfort zone to be my dissertation committee chair, her first, so it was a learning experience for both of us as we worked together to figure it out. She was the only person in the math department who worked with geometry, and since I’m a geometry teacher we ended up making a great pair. She also taught me how to incorporate 3D printing in the classroom and gave me the opportunity to work with students in the Eagle Maker Hub. I’m so excited we reached this milestone together.”
- “Dr. Julie Cwikla never hesitated to meet with me or offer feedback. One of my greatest memories came at the end of my dissertation defense when she told me how proud she was of my work and thought it should be published. I didn’t think that was achievable, and her feedback boosted my confidence to pursue it.”
She also credited her graduate advisor at Mississippi State, Dr. Rebecca Robichaux-Davis, for “teaching me how to be thorough, detailed, and to strive to grow personally and professionally. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her.”
Dr. Cwikla described Dr. Crissey's dissertation as “an excellent example of how full-time educators, K12 or in higher education, can conduct research in their own schools and classrooms, providing benefits in multiple directions."
"Her investigation [in her dissertation research] of spatial reasoning and its connection to mathematics students' out-of-class activities is important to understanding the development of the whole student,” Dr. Cwikla continued.
"And as a doctoral student, a new mother, full-time high school teacher, and woman in STEM, I applaud Dr. Crissey for juggling all the things. Her attention to detail, persistence, and commitment to her students is evident.”
Going forward, Dr. Crissey is considering as her next roles becoming a curriculum specialist for a school district or perhaps working with college education majors who want to teach math. “I have a passion for helping teachers learn how to teach math, so I can also positively impact students in that way,” she said.
The Man of Steel’s wardrobe doesn’t include a cap and gown, but Dr. Crissey hopes when her son sees her graduation photos, he’s just as encouraged to pursue his own superhuman goals with the same passion and drive as his mom.
“I hope he’ll be proud of me and inspired to know he can do whatever he sets his mind to,” she said.
Learn more about USM’s Center for STEM Education.