'Teacher Talk' gives prospective education students a look at future opportunities

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.