MILWAUKEE — Teachers are important. That’s obvious, but I like to believe we all have that one teacher who made a big impact on us. Shoutout Ms. Menzel.
On Wednesday, more than 100 Milwaukee high schoolers got the chance to switch their perspectives on the classroom from the student to the teacher. The goal was to hopefully inspire the next generation of educators.
“Yeah, I’ve always thought of being a teacher,” Serenity Moua, an 11th grader at the Hmong American Peace Academy, said.
She was one of the students at the inaugural Youth Educator Convening event held at ThriveOn King in Milwaukee by Teacher For America (TFA).
“I had a lot of elementary teachers who just made it super fun to learn,” Sunshine Vang, another 11th grader at Hmong American Peace Academy, said.
Both Moua and Vang are interested in becoming teachers. Events like this helped them gain a new appreciation for their teachers and the profession.
“Outside from, like, your family, they’re like the main person who’s guiding you and shaping you into the person you’re becoming,” Vang said.
Community leaders and six different teachers talked about their journeys in education to students from five local high schools. Afterward, students broke out into small groups to discuss their own thoughts about education and their own experiences with teachers.
“I think it’s so valuable to see themselves as teachers now and in the future,” Emma Kelly, a teacher at Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy, said.
The event was all about establishing a teacher pipeline, getting students interested early, as well as showing them the path to take in order to become a teacher.
“Who knows their community, who knows the students, and who knows the families better than the kids sitting at that desk? So our dream is that the same students are going to lead the classrooms they sit in today,” Michael Nguyen, the executive director for TFA Milwaukee, said.
According to TFA, there is a long-term shortage of educators in the city. Events like this hopefully inspire the next generation of diverse future teachers. TFA also emphasized the importance of having educators that look like their students.
Watch: 100 Milwaukee high schoolers explore becoming teachers
“More than ever, we need great teachers, and we believe some of the best teachers possible are the ones sitting in the classroom today,” Nguyen said.
The organization also offers programs for students courses to receive college credit while exploring the career through its Teacher Pathway Program.
Students were also asked to think about a teacher that made a big impact on them. There’s a chance that a few of those students will one day become someone’s favorite teacher.
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