Illinois State University College of Education (COE) hosted its fourth annual Future Teacher Conference on campus. This year, close to 1,100 high school students and 150 education personnel from over 30 Illinois school districts participated in various workshops throughout the day. The word is getting out and a waiting list was implemented for this high demand conference that welcomes high school students who are considering a career in education. According to the FTCon website, this conference is designed to inform and inspire students about the process of becoming a teacher, and to let them know what to expect after graduation as they enter the classroom.
Specifically, over 50 students from various Chicago Public School (CPS) Teacher Academy programs and other pre-educator classes came to campus to attend this conference, even though October 21 was a non-attendance day for CPS students. Students were recruited from the National Center for Urban Education’s (NCUE) partner schools via our community-based organization liaisons to attend this conference. NCUE also partnered with CPS to recruit students from non-partner schools to attend as well.
The day started with an opening session and performance by Gamma Phi Circus. Next, students and education personnel were invited to attend three different sessions. The students’ favorite part on the agenda was a lunchtime rotation featuring Keynote Speaker, Dr. Lindsey Jensen, 2018 Illinois Teacher of the Year, speaking on Why Teaching? as well as a table fair where students were able to learn about the various education majors and education clubs.
During a morning and afternoon session, CPS students participated in “From CPS Student to ISU Redbird” where students learned about ISU’s longstanding partnership with CPS and opportunities for scholarships, student teaching in CPS, and supports for success. One specific program they learned about was Teach Chicago Tomorrow (TCT). In its third year, TCT allows CPS graduates pursuing eligible pathways to have the opportunity to receive the same ISU COE curriculum in Chicago, and return back to the district that poured into them.
Overall, this was an engaging learning experience for all that attended. Many of the CPS students who attended agreed that it was worth getting up extra early on their off day from school to travel to Illinois State University for this event and that excitement extended past the conference day. As Joy Dickson, Simeon CTE Teacher Academy teacher said, “Every Wednesday my students are required to wear their major uniform. Yesterday one student asked me if she could wear her ISU shirt instead of her uniform shirt. I said sure. Little did I know that she shared the yes with her classmates. This conference has a huge impact on my students!” All student participants received this year’s COE #RedBirdEducator t-shirt with the words “Believer, Motivator, Innovator, Educator” on the front.
If you want to learn more about the conference, please visit COE’s Future Teacher Conference.
