Educator for Life

The phone rang one day and M. Alice Callier was shocked by the voice on the other end of the line—a student she had taught 47 years earlier. The former student called to see how Callier was doing and to express appreciation for the impact she had had on her life. Both women reminisced and relished the opportunity to catch up on each other’s lives. “I never dreamed I would get a call from her,” Callier said.

We all know them—those teachers who have had a positive influence on our lives. Callier, a Wright State University alumna, is one of those special teachers who have touched the lives of thousands of students—from first-graders to college students. She hears from her former students regularly and recently received a hand-written note that said, “I would like to thank you for your part in my adventure to success.” The note was from a young man who had been in Callier’s freshman English class at Wilberforce University and was now a law student at Capital University.

Callier spent the last 12 years of her career in higher education—eight at Wilberforce University and the last four at Central State University. “Although I started as a student at Central State, I ended as a professor,” she said proudly.

She may be retired, but she has never stopped being an educator. Today Callier is a team leader for Book Friends, an outreach literacy program through New Hope Lutheran Church and Fairview Elementary School.

In past years, she has mentored many college freshmen. Presently she has two mentees in the Dayton Public Schools. “My plan is to see them through high school graduation,” she explained. Callier is also a docent at the Dayton Art Institute, teaching students about art.

Callier’s family migrated to Dayton from Alabama when she was in elementary school. “I had the best teachers ever at Wogoman School,” she said. “I knew I wanted to be a teacher from the time I was 7 years old.”

She earned a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from Central State University and set off on a teaching career. She remembers her first job in Pennsylvania, teaching first graders who had not been to kindergarten. “I never looked at a challenge as something I could not accomplish,” she said. She truly cared about these young children and even went to their high school graduation.

Soon she was back in Dayton and a teacher with Dayton Public Schools. While teaching, she went to Wright State part time to earn a Master of Education. Beatrice Chait, an associate professor and director of laboratory experiences, gave Callier the encouragement she needed and was instrumental in helping her become an adjunct professor. Callier graduated with three certifications—Curriculum and Supervision, Elementary Administration, and Reading/Learning Disabilities.

That’s when her career really took off.

The next year she became the supervisor of reading/language arts for Dayton Public Schools. Since there were no available teaching materials on individualization in reading, she wrote a step-by-step guide for the district. She later wrote more curricula on language arts and enrichment.

Literacy has always been an important element for Callier. “You get more than what you think when you have literate people in your schools and neighborhoods,” she said. “We don’t really value education enough.”

One of her biggest accomplishments was establishing the gifted education program for Dayton Public Schools. “I proved that all gifted students are not on the East Coast. I also felt it was important to see that African Americans were on both ends of the spectrum,” she explained. “A gifted program highlights your strengths and builds confidence.”

A consummate educator, Callier not only wanted to teach students, she wanted to teach the teachers to be more effective. Her master’s degree from Wright State gave her the credential she needed. “I thought God had given me this ability and I should use it,” she explained.

Callier was an adjunct instructor at Wright State, Sinclair Community College, and Wilberforce University—all at the same time. Yet she was always able to balance her professional, spiritual, and home life.

“None of this would be possible without Wright State,” she said. “It has continued to surround me with opportunities.”

As a child, she loved social studies and learning about far-off lands. “I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to go there some day.’” And she did, visiting the pyramids in Egypt, Italy, Morocco, Spain, Mexico, and Canada. She even took a party boat up the Nile River. Her trip to the Holy Land brings back special memories of putting a prayer in the Western Wall for her husband, who was sick at the time, and even bringing back a small gift for each of her 125 students.

Callier’s spirituality also helps guide her in life. When she visited the Holy Land in time of war, she prayed that the Lord would take care of her. Even though she was holed up behind a restaurant’s locked doors for safety, it was a fascinating and rewarding trip. “The Lord always works out life for me,” she said.