SPRINGFIELD -- Student-athletes are known for having busy schedules. With academics, practice, games, and travel, free time is often hard to come by. And when student-athlete becomes student teacher, as Missouri State's Kenzie Williams is finding out this year, a whole new adventure awaits.

Williams spent the first half of the fall semester as a student teacher in third grade at Wanda Gray Elementary in Springfield. While her basketball career suffered a setback with a knee injury two games into her true freshman season in 2011, her academic career remained on schedule, resulting in the need for some creative balancing of academics and athletics in order to graduate in May.

Rather than completing her student teaching in one semester, the fifth-year senior was able to split the course requirements into two eight-week blocks. She spent the first eight weeks of this semester in the classroom, finishing October 9 ahead of the Lady Bears' first official practice on October 12.

After basketball season, Williams will return to the same class at Wanda Gray to finish the balance of her student teaching. "I look forward to seeing the same class again and the progress they've made during the season," she says.

Once basketball season gets underway, Williams is taking a trio of second-block classes at MSU to maintain the academic requirements for eligibility.

The Mt. Vernon native's days often begin before dawn with a weight or conditioning workout on campus, then transition to Gray for the start of school at 8:15 a.m. After a full day in the classroom, Williams is usually able to leave around 3:45 in the afternoon, hurry back to campus for some more basketball activities, and make it home by dinner, if she's lucky.

"It's been more difficult than a traditional schedule," Williams says. "You get used to a college routine, but with student teaching, it's a full day of work and basketball."

It seems that Williams was born to both teach and play basketball for the Lady Bears. Her mother has spent her career in the school system and her grandfather was a geography professor at MSU, while her aunt, Cindy Castillon, was also a 1,000-point scorer for the Lady Bears. Combine that pedigree with a love of children, and you get a first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference player who also earned MVC Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in 2014-15 in pursuit of an elementary education degree.

Williams has spent several days as the primary teacher in her classroom, crafting lesson plans on her own and teaching math, social studies and English. "It's definitely made me want to get in the classroom and increased confidence in my ability to have my own classroom," she says. "My favorite part is building relationships with the kids."

In fact, Williams has made some young fans during her time at Gray, showing them highlights of the Lady Bears, including the buzzer-beater she made to beat UNI last season. Before her last day, Williams plans to take as many souvenirs as she can to the classroom and hopes to return with more hardware and highlights of a successful senior season when she returns in the spring.