The Teachers of Tomorrow, in collaboration with the College of Education, will host the 5th annual Spark Interest in Teaching Conference at the Brewer Hegeman Conference Center on Thursday, Nov. 10. The Theme of the conference is “I am a Life Toucher ? I Teach!?This year over 400 high school participants from across the state, along with the UCA Jazz band, the UCA men?s choral group, public school administrators, a representative from The Arkansas Department of Education and UCA faulty and deans of various colleges will be in attendance.
The opening session will begin at 10 a.m. in Reynolds Performance Hall. The UCA jazz band, under the direction of Larry Jones, will be the special music to greet the students as they arrive at Reynolds at 9:50 a.m. Concurrent break out sessions will start at 10:35 a.m., with the keynote speaker giving his presentation at 11:45 a.m. Lunch and campus tours will be available for the conference participants following the keynote address.
The keynote address will be given by Stanley Leone Jr. Leone attended Saint Xavier University in Chicago on football and academic scholarships. He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in English literature. He was recognized as an All-American scholar by the university president and a multiple-year recipient of the national dean?s list.
Monda Simmons, his Teen Leadership teacher at South Houston High School, captured Stanley?s heart when he was 17 years old. It was her influence that helped him turn his life around and make college a viable goal.
Bringing the tragedy and triumph of his life to thousands of people, Leone describes his childhood with terms such as: insecure, confused, scared, sexually and physically abused, gang-related, arrested and sentenced, addicted to drugs and homeless. In a dramatic presentation, Leone shares about the relationships in his life that help him change. UCA students are invited and encouraged to attend his presentation.
Teachers of Tomorrow is a pre professional teaching organization that originated with Little Rock, Pulaski County Special School District, and North Little Rock. The partnership has extended to include UCA, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Henderson State University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
The goal has been to create, encourage and support clubs that recruit annually outstanding minority students who are motivated toward preparation for a career in teaching. Over 1,000 students have registered in clubs this fall.
