Students lead event for future educators
More than 60 high school students with aspirations of becoming teachers descended upon the University of North Georgia (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) to learn more about the profession on Future Georgia Educators (FGE) Day. Â鶹ÊÓƵ's College of Education (COE) students were happy to assist.
"We want to help sustain and increase the teacher pipeline," Dr. Christian Bello Escobar, director of academic and community engagement for the COE and Â鶹ÊÓƵ FGE Day coordinator, said. "There's a need for new teachers. Hosting this program allows us to be marketable to the students who have an interest in this profession."
Hosted on Oct. 26 at the Convocation Center on Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Dahlonega Campus, FGE Day helps pique the interest of the potential next wave of educators. High school students from the Carroll County, Commerce City, Fulton County, and Jones County school systems took part in the event, which was co-sponsored by the . Multiple Georgia higher education institutions host FGE days to promote teaching as a profession to more than 4,000 high school students across the state.
Thirteen COE Student Ambassadors led students around campus and answered questions, while some led workshops. They are among the 470 Â鶹ÊÓƵ juniors and seniors in classrooms in some 112 schools across the state in the teacher preparation program for the 2021-22 school year.
Madison Standridge, a Â鶹ÊÓƵ senior from Homer, Georgia, pursuing a degree in English with teacher certification, appreciated the chance to share her knowledge and passion.
We want to help sustain and increase the teacher pipeline. There's a need for new teachers. Hosting this program allows us to be marketable to the students who have an interest in this profession.
Dr. Christian Bello Escobar
Director of academic and community engagement for Â鶹ÊÓƵ's College of Education
"You have a soft spot when you want to teach for the other people who are expressing that desire," Standridge said. "They can make a difference."
Standridge said she wished she understood more how college worked before she arrived at Â鶹ÊÓƵ, and she was glad to assist these kids before they enter a teacher preparation program. She said that the difficulties teachers face have not dampened her passion for the profession.
"If you want to make a difference in this world, you will be a good teacher," she said. "When you find that you love it, it's worth it in the end."
Mya Loren, a senior at Milton High School, was thankful for the experience.
"It makes me realize all the different options I have," she said. "All teacher preparation programs have their unique touch."
Dawson Henricks, a Â鶹ÊÓƵ senior from Clayton, Georgia, pursuing a degree in kinesiology with teacher certification, encouraged the high school students to pursue teaching. His own teachers' helpful, kind demeanor is what inspired him to enter the field.
"I want to have an influence on kids," Henricks said. "That's what our job is."
Alum equipped to lead with 'no playbook'
Bernex Richardson said his experiences at Â鶹ÊÓƵ have equipped him for a wide-ranging career path in which he takes the lead in times of uncertainty.
Students grow skills at Interfraternity Institute
Three Â鶹ÊÓƵ students spent time this summer in an immersive leadership experience focusing on fraternities and sororities. Two attended in Indianapolis and the third in Texas.
Support fuels students at Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Blue Ridge Campus
Â鶹ÊÓƵ celebrated its scholarship recipients and donors and heard some of the students' stories at the Sept. 22 Tomato Sandwich Supper.
Students help create Vickery Voice journal
A faculty member and students have launched a new journal out of Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Appalachian Studies Center, giving students a forum to share their research and other writings.