Dylan Schneider, freshman elementary education major and student ambassador for Educators Rising, is hosting a leadership and education conference Dec. 5. The conference will be held on Emporia State’s campus, with the help of The Teachers College and the Kansas National Education Association.
Educators Rising is an organization that “provides passionate young people with hands-on teaching experience, sustains their interest in the profession, and helps them cultivate the skills they need to be successful educators,” according to their website.
Schneider applied to become an ambassador after attending the national conference last June. He was chosen for a position out of 110 applicants.
“We (ambassadors) are the student face of Educators Rising,” Schneider said.
Ambassadors post on social media about education and participate in Twitter chats where they share about their schools, diversity and how their programs differ.
“It’s been nice to connect with people across the country who share the same passion you do,” Schneider said.
As part of his role as an ambassador, Schneider, along with Heather Culbertson, Pittsburg State’s ambassador, will be hosting the Kansas Student Leadership Conference. They will give the welcome speech, introduce the keynote speakers and lead two breakout sessions.
“The Educators Rising state conference being held outside of Wichita is something new,” said Ken Weaver, dean of The Teachers College. “This is the first conference that Emporia State has hosted.”
The conference is open to high school and college students and includes two keynote speakers, several breakout sessions and a competition in several different categories, such as children’s literature, job interviews and lesson planning.
Currently there are 214 students and 12 teachers registered.
The registration fee for the conference was $5, which will go towards offsetting the majority of the event’s cost. The Teachers College made a donation to the event and the KNEA will pay for the remainder, according to Schneider.
Randy Watson, the Kansas commissioner of education, will be the first keynote speaker. The second will be Davis Laughlin, an advocate for education.
“That Randy Watson, Commissioner of Education for Kansas, will be the keynote speaker reflects the importance of the conference,” Weaver said.
Schneider is also in the process of creating a chapter of Educators Rising at ESU.
