Future Teachers Connect with Peers at Prestigious Statewide Conference

Gigi Churn, Alexa Garcia, Elizabeth Miller, Caroline Tomas, and Gracen Van Der Swaagh were among 70 attendees at the Preservice Teachers' Conference held by the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators in Connecticut at Manchester High School. There, they attended workshops by highly skilled coaches, as well as panel discussions in which first-year teachers and student teachers shared their experiences.

Tomas, a first-year elementary education major, walked away from the AMTEC conference as a fan of the initiative who highly recommends it for other soon-to-be teachers. "There were quite a number of very sound classroom management strategies that I learned which are effective in making the overall learning environment a very positive one," she said.

"I love seeing UHart students engage with other future teachers," said AMTEC President Jillian Cavanna, who is an associate professor of elementary education, STEM, and innovation at UHart's College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions. "The atmosphere allowed students to develop their identities as teachers-to truly see themselves as professionals."