By: Madi Houser
The Student Illinois Education Association’s annual fall conference consistently seeks to provide exceptional professional development that is within reach for aspiring educators, and this year was no exception.
Even in the virtual setting, the Student IEA was able to pull off an incredibly empowering conference for their hundreds of members throughout the state. This year’s conference focused on advocacy, social justice, and bringing forward the experiences of BIPOC educators. The five-hour event with keynote speakers, a panel discussion, some self-care, and a whole lot of space-themed fun, provided members with fresh insight into education advocacy and gave them resources to take and use as they continue into the education field.
Elizabeth Horvat, Student IEA Chairperson Elect and history and secondary education major at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said, “Although we take classes about education, learning from current teachers extends teacher preparation outside the limits of college curriculum. I hope that the attendees learn from the personal stories of the presenters and are empowered to support their students and colleagues of color.”
Most students join Student IEA and attend the conference to fulfill a professional development requirement or to build up their resumes, but many leave with so much more. Katie Cole, Parkland College, and University of Illinois Agriculture Leadership, Education and Communications major, said, “I learned a lot about how I can support my future students of a different race, and I really enjoyed learning about how you can make connections with your students and why it is so important that you do so.”
According to their website, the Student Illinois Education Association is a pre professional organization of undergraduate and graduate students preparing for careers in education. Members of the Student IEA come from chapters from more than 40 colleges around the state and are all a part of the National Education Association’s Aspiring Educators Program.
With the core values of the program being educator quality, community engagement, political action, and social justice, there is no doubt that the members of NEA-AE, Student IEA, and local chapters such as Parkland College’s SEA, are all active in making an impact and change for the betterment of public education. Horvat said, “While I initially joined Student IEA to gain a job at my dream school, my reason for continuing to be active switched. I became passionate about promoting political action and empowering the voices of aspiring educators and my future students.”
Student IEA is one big family. They support each other and lift each other as they make their voices heard for the future of their careers- the future of public education. Becoming a part of the union can only make you a stronger educator and advocate for yourself, colleagues, and students. Horvat explained, “We are still fighting for an equitable education system. With union membership, this gives educators a dual role of both a teacher and an advocate for political action and social justice. Being complacent with underfunded schools and underpaid educators will not ensure our students have a quality education. I challenge fellow teachers and aspiring educators to extend their voices outside the classroom to be on the frontlines for our students.”
To join Student IEA or Parkland College’s local chapter of Student IEA, you can reach out to PCSEA’s faculty advisor Charles Larenas (clarenas@parkland.edu), or the organization’s Co-President’s Madi Houser (mhouser8@stu.parkland.edu) and Halee Fyke (hfyke1@stu.parkland.edu).
Graphic by: Emma Routh, Digital Editor
Photo by: Madi Houser, Prospectus Reporter
