Education Summit connects local teachers to community leaders

JACKSON, Tenn. — WestTeach hosted their Education Summit at the UT Agriculture Research and Education Center in Jackson. WestTeach is a program for teachers to gather together and learn about relevant and influential issues that can help their classrooms benefit their students.

“Well, WestTeach is a program put on through our West Star program with UT Martin,” said Leigh Anne Bentley, Chief Marketing Officer for Leaders Credit Union. “And so they wanted to find an opportunity to bring teachers in to really learn more things about West Tennessee. The different things that are happening here. Giving them experience for their classrooms and able to expand their horizon to what is happening here locally.”

Some students were able to come and participate in the program by listening to the speakers and asking questions for themselves.

“I think it was fantastic that students were here today, because they get to see what’s going on,” Bentley said. “They were hearing the same thing teachers and administrations were hearing. They are getting that first-hand approach and they were actually able to ask questions to the panels, which I thought that was great. They asked about internships and job shadowing. So to be able to have that opportunity to talk to different business leaders and people of administration, I thought that was a great opportunity for them.”

The schedule was filled with a variety of different speakers hoping to teach everyone that was in attendance something useful.

“I think it’s just an opportunity to come and hear speakers, from law enforcement to politicians, to business leaders and other people in education, to kind of take something away for their classroom opportunities,” said Bentley.

WestTeach is still open for applications. Click here for more information.

For more news in the Jackson area, click here.