Kansas Future Teachers Academy (KFTA) is held at Emporia State University during the summer. KFTA is a week-long academy where high school students from all across Kansas who are interested in the field of education attend to learn more about the education field and what it looks like to be an educator. These high school students have to apply and be accepted. 

While at KFTA, students have the opportunity to attend sessions on topics such as social-emotional learning, inclusion and diversity, and project-based learning. Within each of these topics, there are four sessions (two for elementary and two for secondary education). Our presenters during these sessions range from principals to those in education but in a different capacity to Kansas Teacher of the Year finalists and winners and National Teacher of the Year winners. We also had speakers from the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) present to the students about KSDE's role in our schools, district accreditation, the science of teaching, and the art of teaching.

Additionally, by the week's end, the students will have completed and presented a project that reimagines education in Kansas. From eight topics, the high school students select a topic they are interested in. These topics include Social-emotional Learning, Cooperative Learning, Culturally Relevant Teaching, Project-based Learning, Inclusion and Diversity, Trauma-Informed, Engagement, and Learning and the Brain. After selecting their topic on Monday, the students spent Tuesday and Wednesday attending the sessions with our phenomenal speakers mentioned previously to gather information for their projects. 

To complete the project, the students worked in pairs or trios, using a pizza box (either in its entirety or a small piece), to present what reimagined education in Kansas looks like through the topic they chose. I had the opportunity to be the coach for the Inclusion and Diversity group for both sets of students (June's group of high school students and July's group of high school students). Both months combined, we had around 160 students (the largest KFTA group yet). 

Below are pictures of each of my groups' projects when they presented to their parents at the end of their respective week.

June's Session (6/3 - 6/7)

6/8/2024

July's Session (7/15 - 7/19)

7/20/2024