The Ken-Ton School District is always finding ways to get students interested in the field of education and earlier this week, several Kenmore East students were able to get a first-hand look at being an education major.
Students from the school’s “Take a Look at Teaching Club,” the Buffalo State College New Visions Program, and those in the Erie I BOCES Early Childhood program attended the Careers in Education Conference at the University at Buffalo on Tuesday, October 18th. The goal of the conference was to get students excited about the teaching profession.
Attendees were able to go to two panel sessions of their choosing. The panels were made up of new and veteran teachers, and focused on specific areas of study. Two of those panelists were Kenmore East English teacher Julia Borgisi and Franklin Elementary teacher Alex Bianchi.
“I think any opportunity that we can give students to get out into the world and explore is vital to learning and preparing for the future,” Borgisi said. “In this case, they were able to network with teachers, college students, professors, and recruiters. Overall it was incredibly informative.”
The “Take a Look at Teaching Club” started as a collaboration between Kenmore East and Buffalo State College’s Exceptional Education Department last winter. The club was officially formed in February thanks to a UUP grant Buffalo State won to address the looming teacher shortage. The purpose of the club is to foster interest in the teaching profession, organize field trips to local colleges, arrange observations in district classrooms, and work on collaborative educational opportunities between Ken-Ton students and the community. A “Take a Look at Teaching Club” will also be formed at Kenmore West next school year.
