School and Community Winter 2024

application] was in with my back-to-school paperwork. So, I just thought it was something I was supposed to do,” Lowe recalls. “I had been teaching about four or five years when they needed somebody to help with our local CTA. I have one of those personalities where I get along with and talk to everybody - so, they asked if I would do it. I said, ‘Okay, sure. Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.’ It just grew from there. That was about my fifth year of teaching, and this is now my 27th year. Ever since then, I’ve rotated being president and vice president [of the Sikeston CTA] this whole time.” She credits local MSTA members for becoming a second family, providing support and camaraderie. Encouraged by her peers, Lowe soon filled a vacancy on the MSTA State Board for the Southeast region. Near the end of her term, she was asked by a friend if she would ever consider running for office within the association. “The first thing out of my mouth was, ‘Are you kidding? I teach preschool! I don’t think I could do that,” Lowe laughs. “I prayed about it a lot and I talked to my family, because it’s a big commitment. My husband’s just been incredible with it all and encouraged me to do it. Once the idea was in my head, I thought, ‘Okay, I think I’m going to do this.’ So, it’s been really neat to see it come to fruition.” Lowe served as MSTA vice president for the 2021 2022 school year, and president-elect for 2022-2023. She has also served on the Missouri Advisory Council of Certification for Educators (MACCE), the Southeast Region Teachers Association board and several MSTA committees. The Sikeston R-6 School District has been incredibly supportive of her endeavors. “We’ve always had very good communication between our central office staff and our teachers,” Lowe says. “Shannon Holifield, the superintendent, also serves as a delegate to Convention and she’s been very, very supportive.” When duty calls and she must step away to serve

MSTA for a couple of days, Lowe is comforted by the ability to have a consistent substitute for her class. “I have a lady who retired from here who subs for me anytime I’m gone,” she details. “The kids always know Mrs. Karen’s going to be here and that makes it a lot easier. Mrs. Addie has been very supportive as well - she does a lot of our prep work and is an enormous help throughout the day. With four-year-olds, it takes all hands on deck.” Reflecting on her own experience, Lowe encourages MSTA members to get involved and emphasizes that community support is crucial – however, navigating leadership roles while caring for students and keeping up with day-to-day life is not a simple task for anyone. She encourages educators to give themselves grace, acknowledging that mistakes are inevitable but shouldn’t be a cause for self-criticism. “Enjoy every day and make the most of it,” Lowe says. “Because, you know, you’ll have those days when you’re really frustrated and you just want to say, ‘Why am I doing this? I don’t make enough to do this.’ But then there’s times like when Convention backed up to Thanksgiving break and I didn’t see my kids for almost two weeks. I had a couple of parents who messaged me and asked, ‘Can we possibly FaceTime?’ That makes me feel great. They really do miss me, and I miss them when I’m gone.” Her resilience and dedication to her job are mirrored in her personal life, where she has shown strength in many ways. Since being diagnosed with colon cancer at age 34, Lowe maintains a positive outlook as a survivor, dedicating her success to her family. “I have four children; my daughter is 33 and she’s married to an educator. They live in Macon, and I have two grandbabies with them, Torii and Tate,” she says. “My son is 27 and lives in Crystal City with his wife and our grandson, Carson. My other son is 21 and does travel welding, so he comes to visit when he can. We also went into foster care and ended up adopting

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