A sea of high school students settled into Illinois State’s Braden Auditorium. The anticipatory buzz normally reserved for the first riff of a sellout concert filled the air. Yet, the purpose uniting this young group of Illinoisans struck a more altruistic chord.

As she surveyed the crowd, Madison Cumberland realized she shared two traits in common with all of them. Most obviously, she was a high school student. More profoundly, she possessed a growing passion for teaching.

“In that moment, I became so inspired. And I became incredibly excited about the day ahead,” said Cumberland, who is now a sophomore elementary education major at Illinois State.

Cumberland is describing the opening moments of Illinois State’s Future Teacher Conference (FTCon). She attended the event in October 2022, when about 1,000 aspiring teachers were bused from all corners of the state to learn more about their potential career calling. In fall 2023, more than 1,300 descended onto the campus. Some traveled over three hours each way for the opportunity.

The number of attendees is getting close to capacity, but FTCon’s organizers don’t apologize for moving the needle on “max capacity.” Instead, they’ve found creative solutions to accommodate new schools.

“The last thing we want to do is turn anyone away,” said Kelli Appel, FTCon’s creator and the director of recruitment, retention, and student services for the College of Education.

“The teacher shortage is nationwide, and we are the largest, premier teacher prep program in the region. We should be taking the lead in helping high school students celebrate and feel positive about their interest in becoming a teacher. And that’s what we aim to do, with as few limitations as possible.”

The goal for Appel and the FTCon committee is to provide a balanced, one-day experience where attendees enjoy the campus and walk away feeling informed and energized about the profession.

If you host it, they will come

Students sign up for the conference through their high schools. Before the conference, they choose a “pathway” related to their area of interest within education. In 2023, there were 49 session topics, from deaf and hard of hearing to middle school science.

“I attended a session where the speaker started off by reading us a picture book,” Cumberland said.

“At first, all I could think was ‘What’s happening? Why is this woman reading us a children’s book?’ By the end, she had made the text relatable, and she gave us an idea of how we could do the same thing for our future students. Her perspective was so interesting.”

Many of FTCon’s attendees are enrolled in their school’s introduction to education course. High schools usually partner with their local community colleges to offer the course as a dual-credit opportunity for students. The College of Education reviewed the curricula, which is often affiliated with a state-led group called Educators Rising. One of the most dynamic aspects of the course is its semester-long clinical component.

Makenzi Borton, a 2022 and 2023 FTCon attendee, started her Redbird journey this fall. She took the intro to ed course during her junior year.

“We learned all about children’s developmental stages, how to evaluate them, and we began to understand what it takes to be a teacher,” she said. “During my clinical semester, I got the chance to work with kindergarteners in a nearby school.”

Cumberland helped establish her school’s introduction to education course. Her former vice principal, Redbird alum Jessica Muesel ’03, recognized her student’s proclivity for tutoring, and knew the high-achieving senior only had a handful of courses left to take. So, instead of filling her schedule with study halls, Cumberland helped out in a third-grade classroom.

“I was there for four hours during the day, and I loved it. The experience showed me how much I wanted to become a teacher. It was my ‘aha!’ moment.”

About the conference

In 2023, the first FTCon session was a breakout where faculty and Redbird students from each of the University’s 28 teacher education majors shared information about their programs. Afterward, the same representatives hosted an exhibit hall in the Brown Ballroom where the attendees could visit with any of the programs.

“While we’ve done the exhibit hall before, giving students the chance to participate in an informational breakout for the program they’re most interested in was new. We created that after listening to the students’ feedback,” said Appel, “and the response was overwhelmingly positive.” The following sessions throughout the day were a mix of Illinois State’s instructors, alumni, and even students.

“I remember one of the student panels vividly because of the impact it had on me,” said Cumberland.

“They talked about how, as Illinois State students, we were going to get a lot more hours of clinical experience than we would at other schools. When I went on college visits to other schools, they didn’t talk about clinical hours. But I truly believe being in the classroom is where you learn the most. Having been here for two years, everything said at the student panel matches my experience here.”

Cumberland was also excited to hear about the different endorsements the University offers. She’s on track to have her reading endorsement when she graduates.

“That’s a testament to how savvy high school students are, these days,” said Appel. “We weren’t getting questions about endorsements several years ago. But now, it’s an expected part of our discussions with prospective students.”

The Future Teacher Conference will take place again on October 25.

Appel believes the conference’s success is largely due to the tremendous support of a proud alumni community, the FTCon planning committee, and the University’s entire teacher education unit.