• 2025 Razorbug Diploma Tour •

Mom Models Importance of Education, Earns Master's Degree Online

Susan Tyler's face shone with pride as she stood for a photo next to her daughter in front of the Mena Bearcat mascot. She was wearing her black University of Arkansas commencement robe, and her daughter, Gracie Gates, was wearing her red Mena High School commencement robe.

Tyler is proud of the two of them. They graduated within a week of each other in May: Tyler, 50, with a Master of Education in special education and Gates, 17, who earned her high school diploma in three years. They both spent last year at Mena High School, Tyler teaching and Gates finishing her high school career.

"I love that it set a good example for her to see me work hard," Tyler said of her daughter. "She saw what I was doing, and it helped her. She took college classes. She is going to Southern Arkansas University as a pre-veterinarian major. I'm very excited about that."

Tyler's son, 23, who is on the autism spectrum, also inspired her. When he was young, people told her things they didn't think he could do.

"Meetings we had early on in school were difficult," she said. "It broke my heart, and I decided to become a teacher."

She taught special education for 12 years and another three years of general education. This fall, she will teach high school biology in Malvern. Getting a master's degree was a 30-year goal of hers, but life kept getting in the way, Tyler said.

 

Online Delivery

Tyler could not have combined her full-time teaching position and responsibilities as a mother with a degree program that was not offered online.

When her daughter began driving last year, Tyler often studied in the car on trips. She studied in her classroom when she had a break and at home in her bedroom and the living area. She got good at studying with activity going on around her. Tyler's mother also lived with her and her children on a few acres in Polk County with chicken and ducks.

The family welcomed the Razorbug Diploma Tour to their home on June 17. U of A faculty and staff accompany the little red Volkswagen Beetle – a converted 2019 model with curly tail, razor spine, hooves, snout and tusks – to celebrate graduates of degree programs offered online. Suzanne Kucharczyk, associate professor of special education, presented a framed diploma to Tyler in front of the Kansas City Southern Historic Depot and Museum in downtown Mena.

"When I wanted to go back to school, I didn't know what was available," Tyler said. "Online was a godsend for me. I don't think a lot of people know about online. I couldn't have done it any other way. My daughter was also in band so with all of these things I was still able to participate fully with her and work full time and make a difference in the community."

 

Emphasis on Education

She believes the degree has made a positive impact on both her family and her students.

"I think it has been very positive because I've gotten to share how important education is to me and really sink my teeth into learning," she said. "I am learning more about special education overall, the whole process, and I am feeling like I could give more back to the students and families that I serve. I think it just made me more rounded and able to fill in those gaps where they need to be filled in."

Support from co-workers, students, family and friends was vital to her success, Tyler said.

"It was just having people ask me, ‘Hey, what are you taking this semester,' and everything like that," she said. "Being able to have that ongoing conversation about exploring things you're passionate about and working toward your education was very impactful."

 

Understanding Learning

What she learned in her graduate courses will help her understand better how students learn, Tyler said.

"That's become my goal over the last few years, especially with some of the classes that I was taking," she said. "It was to help those students develop the way they learn so that's a gift that they will take with them for their entire education. It's important to teach students to follow their passions, which I've done for myself."

Tyler enjoyed taking videos in the classroom to critique her teaching.

"You wouldn't see any of the students, but you would just see me," she said. "In doing some of those, I was able to take that back from my practicum and see areas that I could improve. I was a teacher for 15 years before doing this program, but we can always learn something. I think that little system of feedback was invaluable to me, and I still use it. I'll put the iPad up and record something if I'm struggling with teaching it to make me a little bit better."