Students from North Panola High School’s Teacher Academy visited to SOE on March 24.
OXFORD — On Friday, March 24, students from North Panola High School’s Teacher Academy came to the University of Mississippi School of Education for an engaging field trip experience with the School of Education.
Students had the opportunity to take part in an interactive presentation and a TeachLive session, as well as a campus tour.
Teacher Academy is a career program offered to Mississippi high school students. The program is designed to expose and attract students to the field of education, as well as prepare students academically and socially who plan to pursue an education degree at the college level.
This was the first time for the SOE to host a Teacher Academy on campus and the field trip was well received by students and faculty members alike. The visit aimed to expose students to the university and education profession, as well as demonstrate what it’s like to be an education student at Ole Miss.
“The objective was to increase the viability of the teaching profession for students in historically under-performing schools,” said Bryce Warden, the AmeriCorps VISTA for the SOE and coordinator of the event. “That was my incentive to do this; how can I paint the picture of the teaching profession to these students?”
This event was unique for Teacher Academy students, giving them the opportunity to sit down in a more intimate setting with Ole Miss education majors to discuss the profession as well as their experiences at Guyton Hall.
In addition to an interactive presentation and TeachLive session, students had the opportunity to listen to keynote speaker, Erica Avent, a sixth grade teacher at Oxford Intermediate School.
“Listening to our keynote speaker, Miss Erica Avent, was the most valuable takeaway from the event,” Warden said. “She grew up in the Jackson area and had to work extremely hard to attend and graduate from college, so I think her personal story really resonated with the students. When Erika spoke to them it inspired them, and she encouraged them and challenged them as well, in continuing to pursue the profession in an institution of higher learning after high school.”
By Liz McCormick