Seventeen students attended the Fort Hays State University Future Educator’s Day on March 9.

“I plan on becoming a teacher when I attend FHSU,” senior Joji Backman said. “I heard about FHSU wanting to throw this all together, and I was also hoping to get some questions answered from the right people there.”

Throughout the day, students listened to different speakers.

“There was a whole itinerary that we went off of,” Backman said. “We stayed in one room for pretty much the whole time, minus restroom breaks and a little meet and greet with what’s offered for teachers.”

The Kansas Teacher of the Year team presented to students, and during lunch, an alumni panel presented on their journey to becoming a teacher.

“In the morning we had a few teachers that spoke to us about their experiences over the past few years,” sophomore Kelly Parr said. “After that we had a teacher who is going through the education program speak. After that they talked about how Fort Hays’s education program is run and drew for scholarships.”

The event opened Vilaysing’s eyes to the important role teachers play in students’ lives.

“The most valuable thing I learned about was the impact that teachers are able to have on a student’s life,” Vilaysing said. “They are able to truly change the world through their influences on generations of students.”

After attending the FHSU Future Educator’s Day, junior Alexis White said she is even more confident in her decision to become a teacher.

“ I have been contemplating going into education, specifically music education, for a long time now,” White said. “There are many pros and cons when it comes to going into education, but after hearing about the experiences that some of the educators have had, I think that this profession is one that I would like.”

21afeyerherm@usd489.com