This past Friday, I finally found the time to attend the Armstrong Teacher Panel. As an education major, I've always been encouraged to attend by my classes, but never made it a priority. Why bother going to campus when you don't have class? Wow, was I wrong. This panel was the most worthwhile thing I have ever done on a Friday since coming to college, and I recommend any other education major, or person with an interest in the field, attend one (or several) of these panels.
The 2013-2014 Armstrong Teacher Cohort - Special thanks to the School of Education - Source
Since 1997, the Armstrong Teacher Educator Award has brought some of the best teachers in the state back to Bloomington to support the Teacher Education Programs. The Armstrong Teachers do this in a variety of ways, but the one I want to focus on here are the panels they do. Armstrong Teachers are nominated by their districts and selected by the School of Education. The details of the process aren't particularly important. What is important, though, is the link they provide between preservice educators and actual classroom teachers. To read bios of the current Armstrong Teachers, click here (opens new window).
How is the panel set up? How often are they?There are 4 Armstrong Teacher panels per year, 2 per semester. Panels are set up the School of Education Auditorium, and are rather informal. The teachers have fun and bounce off of each other on the given topic, and a Q&A session happens at the end. The Armstrong Teachers are funny, knowledgeable, and relatable - they truly represent the best teachers in the state (of course, right?). As an education major, you can really learn a lot from them. Even if you're not going to be a teacher, but just have a general interest in education, these panels are worth going to.
Are these panels REALLY worth getting out of bed for?Yes - these panels are excellent. I can't even put into words how great these teachers are, or how great the environment in the room is. Best of all, several education classes offer extra credit for attending these.
When is the next panel? What's the topic?The next Armstrong Teachers Panel is January 31, 2013, with a tentative topic pertaining to teacher assessment. For a more detailed and up-to-date calendar, check out the Armstrong Teachers Page.
As a side note, these panels are free and open to the public. If you're a high schooler considering studying in the School of Education, or an interested alumni, you can plan a trip to Bloomington so that you can attend one of these panels are well.
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