School of Education will hold inaugural Teacher Academy Conference
Mississippi University for Women’s School of Education will hold its inaugural Teacher Academy Conference from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, on campus.
“We see this as a high priority task given the state’s critical need for educators,” said Dr. Hope Durst, an assistant professor in the School of Education at The W. “The primary focus of this event is to give students with an interest in education a ‘day in the life’ experience of a student in The W’s School of Education.”
Durst said the goal of the conference is to reach out to area high school students who are interested in becoming educators. Durst said the conference is the brainchild of The W’s School of Education Marketing, Recruitment & Retention Committee, which is made up of Dr. Marty Hatton, the dean of the School of Education; Dr. Bob Fuller, the department chair; herself; Jackson Ellard; Melinda Lowe; Brittany Hunnicutt; Christi Dillon and Karen Partain.
Attendees will interact with faculty, tour campus and go to an information fair to obtain all the pertinent information they may need to consider their future at The W. The School of Education’s ambassadors, who are current undergraduate students, will serve as guides and will be available to answer student questions about life at The W.
Durst said a highlight of the day will be conference sessions that will allow attendees to engage and interact with faculty members in the School of Education. The students also will be able to see the instructional style offered at The W. Durst said the conference will include a tour of the newly renovated Child & Parent Development Center and a chance to examine the plans for the new and improved playground for the School of Education’s Early Childhood program.
“Planning our first Teacher Academy Conference Day has been a joy,” Durst said. “Knowing we can show potential students the type of support and care they get before they even apply to The W is indicative of the priorities of the School of Education.”
The conference will close with a walking tour of campus, lunch in Hogarth Cafeteria and an information session in Pope Room. Cookies and cocoa will be served before the students leave campus.
Durst said the conference will give students “an invaluable opportunity” to envision their career in part through their interactions with new technologies such as Virtual Reality to learn how to safely and effectively implement these in their future classrooms. She said she and the rest of the committee are excited to show the next generation of educators everything The W has to offer to help ensure they have a successful career.
“I think this event will impact The W by revealing to all attendees the beautiful campus and culture of The W,” Durst said. “Because we will have many students attending from outside Lowndes County, this will be many high-schoolers’ first exposure to our campus, so we are focused on showing all of the attendees The W is a special place.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 5, 2022
Contact: Adam Minichino
acminichino@muw.edu
(662) 329-1976