Education majors prepare for Learn Today Teach Tomorrow conference

Soon-to-be teachers are preparing for the 9th annual Learn Today Teach Tomorrow conference, a professional development conference that gives education majors a closer look of what it really means to become a teacher.

The conference has more than 40 separate sessions including classroom activities and lesson plans, with around 60 professionals presenting to students and faculty.

“LTTT offers many different sessions in the education field,” said Co-Chairman of LTTT and Allen Park senior Alexandra Harkins. “The variety of sessions provides students with information that will help find their strengths in teaching.”

LTTT is a popular statewide conference for future educators. Members of different educational and professional registered student organizations on campus help put the conference together.

“A lot of students from other universities in Michigan attend this conference,” Harkins said. “We’ve had people from Northern (Michigan), Eastern (Michigan), Mid Michigan Community College and Michigan State attend. It’s pretty popular.”

Harkins said the conference is one of her favorite parts of the year.

Registration ends Friday for the March 29 conference. Running from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Warriner and Grawn halls, the event will provide each participant with breakfast, lunch, a T-shirt and a certificate.

This year’s keynote speaker is CMU alumnus Greg DeCourval.

“We’re all very excited to have him. He is such a great guy and teacher, and he attracts the biggest crowds at LTTT,” Harkins said.

This year, DeCourval is presenting “Education in the Movies.” He is examining and acting out movie scenes and how they relate to teaching.

LTTT planning committee member and Wixom junior Megan Hart stressed how important the conference is for education majors. Hart said it is important for future employers to see students attending professional development on their own time.

“It looks really good on applications,” Hart said. “Plus, it gives you a lot of teaching ideas for your future classroom."

Meeting professionals is one of the best parts of the conference for Grosse Pointe junior Harper Pizzimenti.

“The conference sort of forces you in a way to become a professional,” Pizzimenti said. “It’s a good way for you to talk to professionals in the education world and hear about their experiences.”

The LTTT conference reminds hundreds of students of why they joined the education career path. The day is filled with inspirational presenters and great tools for teaching.

“I come out of the day so excited to be a teacher and so excited to be in the teaching field,” Harkins said. “It reignites the passion that I’ve always had for teaching. It’s a huge reassurance for me to know that this is the field I’m going into"