Teacher Talk, an informational session for students interested in the McKay School of Education, took place Jan. 29 at the Varsity Theatre.

The event was run by four McKay School of Education ambassadors: Rachel OMalley, Sarah Wilde, Kamora Johnson and Mikaela Campbell. Each ambassador represented a different major within the program, including elementary education, special education, physical education and early childhood education.

I feel more confident that I want to go into teaching. It was cool to learn about the different sections of teaching because I've thought about special education," Sarah Hess, a BYU student, said. "The presentation on that just made me really excited to start."

I chose to go into education because I love teachers who made a difference in my life and my siblings' lives, and I want to be that for another child, Sarah Wilde, the special education ambassador, said.

Wilde passed pom-poms throughout the audience for the students to do math with, much like what would happen in a special education classroom.

I think that God puts some of his most special spirits in maybe some of the bodies that struggle a little bit more, and they deserve to learn just as much as the next person and to reach their fullest potential in this life to prepare for the next life," Wilde said. "And they can't do that without somebody who really cares to help them along that path."

The ambassadors passed Braille Legos around the audience, showing how to provide a tactile way for children with visual impairments to learn more ways to communicate.

One of the things we learn is how our students communicate, whether thats through an iPad, through sign or braille, Wilde said.

The event walked students through the two different paths they can choose between in their sixth semester of the program. Students choose between student teaching or an internship.

Its kind of whatever works best for you. Different people do them for different reasons. Im doing student teaching because I want to do a minor and I want some more guidance from a mentor teacher, Rachel OMalley, the elementary education ambassador, said.

Student teaching is when a sixth-semester student helps plan curriculum and teach in a classroom setting, all while under the direct supervision of a full-time teacher. Internships are a full year of teaching for the student. They have their own classroom and earn half of a teachers salary.

The ambassadors encouraged students attending the event to sign up for Tutor Outreach in Provo Schools (TOPS), a program in which volunteers aid teachers in their classrooms.

Ive been interested in education for a while, and I didn't realize how many different directions you could go with it and how involved the process is, Christine Hall, a BYU student, said.

Students walked away from Teacher Talk with a clearer understanding of what to expect from the McKay School of Education program and the paths available to them.

The McKay School of Education celebrated World Teachers' Day in front of the Joseph Fielding Smith Building on Oct. 6.

A booth was set up with a large board for students to write notes to their current teachers or former teachers. Apple cider donuts were provided as an incentive for students to participate.

While World Teachers' Day is celebrated internationally on Oct. 5, the McKay School of Education moved its celebration to Monday, Oct. 6, to allow more students to participate.

Brent Challen, director of the Education Preparation Program (EPP) for the McKay School of Education, helped organize the event.

We put it out, students walk by, see it, and they realize, this is awesome. I have a teacher I want to thank. Sometimes they dont even take a donut, Challen said.

Students across campus recognized the impact that teachers had in helping them attend BYU.

Rachel OMalley, an elementary education major, expressed her gratitude for former teachers.

I think the biggest turning points for me have been from teachers they really shaped who I am as an individual, and I never gave them enough credit for it, OMalley said.

According to UNESCO, the celebration of World Teachers' Day commemorates the adoption of the Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. This created "benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers, and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions.

This recommendation provided a way to elevate the status of teachers across the world and set international standards for teachers rights, responsibilities and preparation.

The McKay School of Education has been celebrating the event for around four years. BYU hosts 26 teaching majors and 21 teaching minors that lead to a license in the state of Utah.

We decided we wanted to do something to help bring awareness and attention to give students on campus a chance to recognize who helped them get here, Challen said.

In tandem with the BYU 150 initiative, "Beacons of Light," a small poster board was displayed with map icons representing where graduates of the McKay School of Education are spreading their light. Little lighthouses pop up in nearly every state in the United States and several foreign countries.

Mikaela Campbell, an ambassador for the McKay School of Education, highlighted the connection between the beacons of light celebration this year and teachers.

Its really important because we gotta recognize our teachers and all the efforts that they put in I feel like, especially with BYU 150, we are really just recognizing everything that happens at BYU itself, Campbell said.

The organizers of the event intend to apply the feedback received to help their teacher candidates as they prepare to go and teach in public schools in and outside of Utah.