Future Educators Association << Brochure >>
Baltimore County Public Schools Blueprint for Progress clearly states the vision: “We will have graduates who have the knowledge and skills to participate meaningfully in a multicultural, technological, and change-oriented society.” With this in mind, FEA is an integral part of the vision.
History: During the first half of this century, the National Education Association initiated a Future Educators Association program, of which local chapters still exist in a number of states. Other similar efforts were made by various state departments of education, local schools, and most notably, by Jan Towslee who, as president of the Association of Teacher Educators, made the development of FEA a priority. Phi Delta Kappa is the catalyst to develop a national FEA network. Baltimore County Public Schools is part of that network. There are currently 35 FEA chapters throughout Baltimore County. The chapters meet with their members once or twice per month; the advisors meet with the coordinator every other month. Chapter initiatives for students, teachers, schools, communities, and colleges for the education profession are discussed.
Goals and Objectives
I. The Future Educators Association strives to interest students in the field of education early in their school experience.
II. The Future Educators Association places a strong emphasis on the recruitment of students with diverse ethnic, racial, social, and economic backgrounds.
III. The Future Educators Association strives to promote excellence in students interested in the teaching profession by promoting academic achievement, developing a positive self-image, and encouraging leadership responsibilities.
IV. The Future Educators Association enhances the quality of the school’s educational program by fostering an appreciation for teaching and contributing to the smooth operation of the school.
V. The Future Educators Association promotes a positive image of education to students, parents, and the community and shall disseminate information about the teaching profession.
VI. The Future Educators Association encourages members to be positive role models in the school, the organization, and the community.
Why Establish FEA Chapters?
- It is a way for young people to become knowledgeable of opportunities available through a career in education.
- It is a way to attract capable candidates to the teaching profession.
- It is a natural way to encourage students from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds to enter the profession.
- It is a way for students to provide service to their school and community and enhance the student’s image of teaching.
- It is a way to promote teaching as a challenging and rewarding profession.
- It is a way to provide linkages between the teaching profession and the community.
- It is a way to provide for student/educator recognition.
- It is a way for students to be positive role models in their schools and communities.
- It is a way to build morale among those practicing in the profession.
- It is a way for local schools to share the responsibility of averting teacher shortages.
- It is a way to enhance and facilitate school and college/university relationships.
- It is a way to form a network at the local, state, and national levels for purposes of building the profession.
- It is a way to introduce young people to traditional and emerging concepts of schools and the teaching/learning process.
- It is a way to start young people on pathways to teaching, linking FEA chapters with other pre-collegiate and collegiate teacher recruitment programs.
- It is a way to enhance student achievement by making more explicit the cognitive and pedagogic underpinnings of academic performance.
Initiatives for FEA
1. Become knowledgeable of careers in education by:
- Attending informational chapter meetings
- Touring universities and visiting colleges, schools, and departments of education
- Visiting the State Department of Education
- Attending state and national conferences
- Creating a speaker’s bureau consisting of personnel from school district offices
- Inviting professors of local colleges to speak at meetings.
2. Provide service and improve the image of teaching by:
- Providing school-wide assistance for projects
- Assisting teachers with classroom responsibilities
- Establishing teacher cadet programs
- Serving as peer tutors
- Serving as peer counselors in programs such as dropout prevention
- Spearheading teacher recognition activities
- Participating in “teacher shadowing” activities.
3. Attract bright, talented students by:
- Providing scholarships
- Offering an introduction to education course
- Providing opportunities for developing leadership skills.
4. Promote teaching by:
- Inviting the state “Teacher of the Year” to speak at various occasions
- Inviting the school district “Teacher of the Year” to speak at various occasions
- Providing district wide workshops and meetings.
5. Provide a linkage between teaching and the community by:
- Providing contact with students in daycare, recreational, and educational settings
- Soliciting the support of school business partners
- Providing services for elderly citizens, hospitals, nursing homes, and other school service agencies.
6. Provide teacher/student recognition by:
- Spearheading activities during “Teacher Appreciation Week”
- Participating in “End of the Year” recognition with a special banquet or awards program
- Sponsoring an “Adopt a Teacher” project
- Sponsoring or co-sponsoring with the local newspaper “Teacher Feature” columns.
7. Build professional awareness by:
- Providing a forum during regional workshops and state conferences to discuss the positive aspects of the teaching profession in the field of education
- Providing opportunities for networking among students and teachers within the school district and throughout the state
- Giving recognition and rewards to chapter members and advisors.
8. Share the responsibility of averting teacher shortages by:
- Sponsoring activities that nurture students’ interest in teaching, such as summer programs designed specifically to address this need.
9. Enhance college/university relationships by:
- Inviting representatives to sit on local (school) planning committees
- Inviting institutions to set up booths at state conferences
- Shadowing a student in the college of education
- Inviting student representatives to speak at local school meetings
- Developing a close relationship with a college or university.
10. Strive to be positive role models by:
- Serving as peer tutors
- Conducting orientation for underclass students
- Promoting and assisting with activities sponsored by parent-student group
- Sponsoring school improvement activities.
For more information contact:
Merry C. Macer
Administrator
mmacer@bcps.org
410-887-2444