Educators, leaders gather for WestTeach seminar

JACKSON, Tenn. — Nineteen West Tennessee counties and 23 school districts were represented at the WestTeach Seminar on Friday morning.

What was their goal?

“To bridge the gap between classroom, commerce and community,” WestStar executive director Charley Deal said.

During the seminar they discussed how school boards enact policies.

Representatives from the state Senate and House, superintendents, school board members, business leaders and teachers were there to learn from each other on how to better teach their students.

One of those teachers was Colette Carrabba.

“Teachers can’t do it alone. We need the help of our community. We need the help of many people here, especially here in West Tennessee, so our students will grow to be productive students in our future,” Carrabba said.

And it wasn’t just reading, writing and arithmetic that they were wanting to improve.

“In the workforce, as far as what our business leaders are needing and the skills they’re looking for, has great application for our high school curriculum,” Henry County director of schools Leah Watkins said.

This is just the fourth year for WestTeach, and it was their second class of teachers to go through the program, but they’re already seeing teachers come together to help their students.

“We had three school districts that went together because of WestTeach to submit a grant for a K-3 program, and they got it,” Deal said.

The teachers say they hope to take what they learned back to their schools, so that they can better prepare their students for the future.

This year’s WestTeach class had 22 members representing schools from across West Tennessee.