{"id":53658,"date":"2020-02-24T09:13:01","date_gmt":"2020-02-24T15:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=53658"},"modified":"2020-02-24T09:13:06","modified_gmt":"2020-02-24T15:13:06","slug":"fhsu-creates-a-day-to-recruit-teachers-open-another-lifeline-for-rural-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=53658","title":{"rendered":"FHSU creates a day to recruit teachers, open another lifeline for rural communities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By UNIVERSITY RELATIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every year, the Kansas Teacher of the Year Team (KTOY) \u2013 the pre-K-12 educators celebrated as the best of the best for that year \u2013 tours the state\u2019s universities.

This year, the team will come to Fort Hays State University on March 9, and Dr. Chris Jochum, chair of the university\u2019s Department of Teacher Education, decided to do something extra. His department and the College of Education are using it as the core event of what he is calling Future Educators Day, the first of what he hopes will be many.

The purpose is to \u201cget kids interested in the teaching professions and, hopefully, stay in Kansas.\u201d

So far, 12 schools and school districts have signed up, and Jochum expects about a hundred students with their sponsoring teachers, school administrators and counselors.

FHSU President Tisa Mason and College of Education Dean Paul Adams will welcome the attending teachers and students and the KTOY Team to campus in the union\u2019s Fort Hays Ballroom.

The KTOY Team (KTOY is colloquially pronounced KAY-toy) is the current Kansas Teacher of the Year and the seven regional finalists for the honor.

\u201cThe KTOY team presents on campus every year,\u201d said Jochum, \u201cand the reason for Future Educators Day is because there is an identified need not only in Kansas but nationwide to attract more people to the teaching profession, especially people who will return to their hometowns and teach there.\u201d

Jochum began preparing for the day last fall. The concept was an event that would begin trying to attract high school students to the profession of teaching by giving them a different perspective on teaching.

\u201cWe wanted to get in front of high school kids who are still thinking about their careers and show them the benefits of being a teacher.\u201d

That idea evolved into the concept of a day that introduce students to the idea of teaching as a career and, with KTOY, using people acknowledged as this year\u2019s best teachers to make the introduction. The Kansas Teacher of the Year for 2020, Tabatha Rosproy, preschool and early childhood teacher from Winfield USD 465, will deliver a keynote address at lunch in the ballroom.

A recent Fort Hays State graduate, Perla Camacho, a former Noyce Scholarship winner who teaches math in Ulysses USD 214, will also address the luncheon audience, as will Jon Armstrong, director of admissions at FHSU.

\u201cThe big picture,\u201d said Jochum, \u201cis we are responding to our K-12 colleagues and stakeholders who have rightly expressed concern: Are we doing enough to promote the profession? Are we doing enough to get in front of students and introduce the profession from a perspective different than that of a high school sophomore or junior?\u201d

As part of that, the day\u2019s schedule includes a time for the high school students to tour exhibits. From 1 to 1:40 p.m., tables will be set up in the union\u2019s Black and Gold Room for the high school students to visit with faculty from departments with teaching majors or endorsements:
\u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Elementary Education
\u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Early Childhood Unified
\u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Special Education
\u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Art Education
\u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Spanish Education
\u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0English Education
\u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0History Education
\u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Math Education
\u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Music Education
\u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Science Education

The time will also include people who can answer questions on career services, study abroad, living and learning communities, residential life, Greek Life and other student-related services.

The day\u2019s events also includes a KTOY presentation to the high school students from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. and a panel discussion and activities with current teacher education students and Camacho as well as a tour of Rarick Hall.

The KTOY team will also engage in events with just FHSU faculty and students: a presentation from 10:30 to 11:20 a.m. in the Stouffer Lounge, and a discussion between the KTOY Team, K-12 teachers and FHSU faculty on \u201cfilling the teacher pipeline\u201d from 12:55 to 1:40 p.m. The day\u2019s closing remarks will include a drawing for scholarships from the Office of Admissions and the Department of Teacher Education.

Jochum provided another illustration of the \u201cbig picture\u201d concerns that the Future Educators Day is intended to address.

\u201cThe defining moment of when a rural community is closing down is when they lose their schools,\u201d he said. \u201cThe two entities in a rural community that are most likely to have college graduates are the bank and the school.\u201d

He continued, \u201cLet\u2019s try to promote education, especially in rural Kansas, to get these kids to settle there and contribute to the economy, and then maybe their kids will go to school there. This would help all our communities, but especially those out here in Western Kansas.\u201d

For more information, contact Jochum at cjjochum@fhsu.edu<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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