Asbury University students walked into the CLC Luce Auditorium, and saw some 300 students and faculty from all over Kentucky. Recently, Asbury’s School of Education hosted the third annual event, Educators Rising.
“Educators Rising is a career and technical student organization that promotes students exploring careers in education,” KDE employee and Educators Rising’s academic program consultant John Paise said.
Asbury undergraduate students have the amazing opportunity to sit down and discuss with high school students what they will expect in the field of teaching.
Senior Isaiah Thompson, a student leader of the event says that with being an education major, you get to “have fun and impact lives daily.”
With this event, the School of Education helps build teachers as a part of their program. Many students and staff mentioned the low pay and other concerns, yet the career itself focuses on impacts made on students.
“Education is one of the greatest professions in the entire world, and we’re here today to encourage our students, encourage these young people to go into this profession. This is a profession that makes the difference in the lives of others,” said Rockcastle County Schools’s Supt. Carrie Ballinger.
Educators Rising allows students to experience what teaching is like from college students who have had clinical experience to see if it’s actually a calling for them, too.
Students must set goals in life, and being a teacher is a huge one. Students got to design their own learning targets based upon needs given, develop classroom management strategies, and create a thriving technology classroom environment.
“Asbury’s School of Education is unique in that we provide students opportunities to be in classrooms all throughout the academic experience,” said professor Barbara Hamilton. “Today was another example of how we model, guide, and provide opportunities for our students to have hands-on experiences with students, teachers, and administrators from around the state of Kentucky.”
Educators Rising provides young people with hands-on teaching experience and helps them cultivate the skills they need to be successful educators.
Teachers cultivate the learning for every career path, beginning with teaching students how to read. This event helps create an environment to prepare high school students for that and for becoming future educators.
Along with the hands-on experience, students also got to hear from teachers of the year, the Superintendent of Rockcastle County, and the KDE liaison, Join Paise.
“Today, we saw our very own servant-hearted student leaders step up to plan, prepare, and lead the event,” said Hamilton. “We heard teachers share the reasons why they became teachers and encourage us to consider the vocation of teaching for future generations.”
These future teachers and educators are “hope changers” and the field of education is so blessed to have some growing up in our local community.
“We saw the next generation being infused with hope for a career that has really taken a hit over the last several years. It was such an encouragement for every generation!”