Full STEAM ahead for future teachers at The W

Wednesday, December 06, 2023

Mississippi University for Women’s School of Education is bringing close to 100 high school Educator Prep students to campus to give them a taste of college, with an emphasis on education, in hopes that they come back for more.

“This event is multipurpose and seeks to address several needs in our area. Our goal is to provide the opportunity for area students to experience a ‘day in the life’ of a W School of Education student. These high school students will meet and learn from our faculty and staff in a very similar manner to our own students. Secondly, due to the nation-wide teacher shortage, we feel an obligation to address this concern for local K12 schools and administrators. By meeting high school students with an interest in teaching and providing them the experience of Future Teacher Day, these students get to learn about the program, the University and the profession,” said Dr. Hope Durst, assistant professor of education at The W.

The Future Teacher Day event will take place Friday, Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is hosted by the Education Marketing, Recruitment and Retention Committee and the Center for Education Support. Students will have the opportunity to meet faculty from the teacher education programs in both the School of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences. The event will feature mini breakout sessions for students to give them a taste of hands-on learning at the collegiate level.

The focus of the sessions, and the event as a whole, is science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education.

There will be multiple activities presented by W faculty including plant and animal anatomy, Venn diagrams using mathematics, art and literacy and much more.

“The beauty of this second annual event is that area students can step outside the traditional ‘campus tour’ format of a campus visit. Instead, they participate in engaging sessions with faculty, have a yummy lunch in the cafeteria with our dean and department head and network with support entities from all across campus at our information fair portion of the day. The future of teaching is in the hands of these students we are so excited to meet, and our goal is to equip them with the skills and tools they need to successfully engage students in life-long learning,” Durst said.

Students are attending from multiple area schools including Monroe County, Louisville, Choctaw Central and Amory.

The students will be treated to breakfast when they arrive and then go straight into the breakout sessions. Next, they will take a tour of The W’s campus, have lunch in the cafeteria at Hogarth Dining Center and then finish with cookies and cocoa while attending the campus resource fair in Pope Ballroom.

“We want students to leave with a sense of warmth, hospitality and culture at The W so they return to us as education students,” said Penny Mansell, director of the Center for Education Support.

About The W

Located in historic Columbus, Mississippi, The W was founded in 1884 as the first state-supported college for women in the United States. Today, the university is home to 2,227 students in more than 70 majors and concentrations and has educated men for 40 years. The university is nationally recognized for low student debt, diversity and social mobility which empowers students to BE BOLD.

Be Bold. Tower with Blue.