University News

WIU’s Future Teachers’ Day Draws Record Attendance, Inspires Next Generation of Educators

November 7, 2024

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MACOMB, IL – Western Illinois University's recent Future Teachers' Day saw a record-breaking turnout, with 124 high school students from seven different schools and additional individual attendees joining the event held on Oct. 25 in the University Union, Heritage Room. The program offered students an in-depth experience of WIU's educational programs, faculty and campus, all designed to inspire and support future educators in exploring their career aspirations.

Future Teachers' Day, which has become an anticipated annual event, aims to spotlight WIU's robust teacher preparation programs, which include majors across early childhood, middle-level, secondary, and PK-12 education. Attendees participated in interactive sessions tailored for future educators, enjoyed a complimentary lunch, attended mock classes and toured the WIU campus.

"Future Teachers' Day was designed as a service project to show students in our partnering school districts what studying at Western Illinois University to become a teacher looks like. Our goal was to shine a light on the different educational majors that WIU offers and to encourage high school students to consider becoming teachers. It was great to see so many young people interested in teacher education and to share the good things WIU has going with the next generation of teachers," Lisa Litchfield, WIU Coordinator, University Field & Clinical Experience for the Center for Preparation of Education Professionals said.

This year's record attendance underscores WIU's commitment to addressing the demand for skilled educators while fostering a supportive community for those passionate about teaching. WIU's team is currently processing contact cards collected from the event to provide additional follow-up and resources to students interested in pursuing teacher education at the University.

For more information on Western Illinois University's teacher education programs or future events like Future Teachers' Day, contact Jill Bisbee at jm-bisbee@wiu.edu or 309-298-1690.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing