FTA

Mr. Conway, sponsor of FTA and also the sophomore history teacher, states that Future Teachers of America (FTA) is to “generate interest in teaching as a career. There is a shortage of teachers in certain subjects in Missouri and we need to be able to meet the demand for these positions going forward.” FTA is for anyone that is interested in Mountain View-Birch Tree Liberty High School.

“We do community and school outreach projects to support our teachers in the workplace and promote teaching as a profession,” Conway mentioned. There is a president, Isobel Tripp; vice president, Mickenzie Tarlton; and secretary, Shelby Acklin. “They run the meetings and help decide what projects we take on,” continued Mr. Conway. “It is a positive addition to college applications. Our dues are only $10,” Mr. Conway concluded.

Joining clubs/groups gives both students and teachers the opportunity to be more engaged with their fellow peers. Mickenzie Tarlton (vice president) says, “ I joined FTA to be more involved because I felt like I wasn't involved enough, and you get to help people anytime you join a group.”

Isobel Tripp (president) expressed, “FTA means a lot to me, I joined it my freshman year and have been in it every year since. FTA is somewhere where not only other people what to be teachers after high school, but we also get to give back to our teachers right now which I think is really important since they give most of their time and effort to us to make sure that we get a good education and will be able to succeed in life.”

“I joined FTA because I have been set on being a teacher for a long while now and my friends were going to join too,” stated Tripp. “I was also really excited to get out of class one day in the spring to job shadow a teacher,” she added.

“In FTA, we normally get to go to a college somewhere in Missouri and attend a conference based solely on becoming a teacher after high school. We get to do different activities there and listen to some amazing speakers. We also raise money to get all of the teachers some things throughout the year just as a thank you for all they have done. Then at the end of the year we go out and shadow a teacher in the school district for a day,” informed Tripp.

The members of FTA are excited not only to become teachers in the future, but to positively impact their current teachers as well.