High school students from across the state will explore future career opportunities in education at the 2023 Educators Rising Wisconsin Annual Summit and Competition, to be held Wednesday, March 1, at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Hosted by the School of Education and the Harju Center for Equity in Education at UW-Stevens Point, the summit is intended for students in grades 9-12. Themed “The Power of You,” the summit includes speakers and competitive events. It provides high schoolers who may be interested in becoming teachers with inspiration from some of the state’s best.
Educators Rising Wisconsin, coordinated by the Wisconsin Education Association Council and sponsored by the national Phi Delta Kappa organization, is a network of educators and students who promote teaching careers.
“Every child deserves highly skilled teachers,” said Lynda Fernholz, UW-Stevens Point professor and assistant dean for the School of Education. “Educators Rising provides opportunities to explore education career opportunities, develop skills necessary for effective teaching and make informed decisions about pathways for achieving their goals. The organization also cultivates highly skilled educators by guiding young people beginning in high school and extending through college and into the profession.”
Keynote speaker Kabby Hong is the 2022 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year, member of the Wisconsin Education Association Council and English teacher in the Verona Area School District. He will present on “The Power of Visibility,” focusing on the importance of Asian American Pacific Islander visibility in school curriculum and how that is connected to the physical, psychological and emotional safety of these students in our schools and communities. Hong has earned awards from Stanford University and the University of Chicago.
Students will attend breakout sessions led by award-winning teachers, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) staff and members of Educators Rising. A number of competitive events and contests will also take place about lesson planning, leadership, public speaking, research and ethics. The top two scoring contestants in each competitive event qualify for the national competition.
UW-Stevens Point education students and faculty are volunteering and taking part in a panel at the event, and Chancellor Thomas Gibson will speak. UW-Stevens Point alumna Anna Schneider, a teacher in Stevens Point, will be the closing speaker.
“We are excited about the growing interest and investment in Educators Rising across the state,” said Leah Luke, Educators Rising Wisconsin state coordinator. “Teacher leaders are enthusiastically stepping up to the plate to support high school students who are considering a career in education. Educators Rising can and will play a key role in addressing the teacher shortage in the long term.”
Learn more at www.uwsp.edu/educatorsrising.
Since 1894, the School of Education has been the hub of teacher preparation programs at UW-Stevens Point. It prepares future teachers majoring in early childhood education, elementary education, physical education or special education. The School of Education also supports students seeking certification in K-12 and secondary education.
UW-Stevens Point’s Harju Center focuses on addressing educational inequities in Wisconsin by supporting diverse and first-generation elementary education teachers and rural education.