The Educator’s Expo hosted by Career Services will take place on March 26 in Legacy Hall from 9 a.m. to noon. The Expo is a job and career fair held each spring semester and is targeted toward students interested in a career in teaching.
“The Educator’s Expo brings a large number of representatives from a variety of school districts to our campus,” Kim Muller, Assistant Director of Career Services, said.
When new graduates are beginning their job searches, it can be difficult to find the right person to discuss specific opportunities within an organization. The Expo allows employers to come to the students and spend their morning ready and willing to answer questions from students about their school districts and teaching opportunities.
“It’s really good because it gives us the chance to meet people from the schools and ask questions about them if we have some,” Madison Parkey, senior Elementary Education major, said. “It also helps you as the student to impress the school and really get your name out.”
The Expo can also benefit students in a number of other ways.
“They know that professionalism is expected of them and how to conduct themselves in order to market themselves,” Dr. Elsa Diego-Medrano, assistant professor of Education, said. “They have the opportunity of interviewing with potential schools, and ultimately they have an overall understanding of the process as a whole.”
The Educator’s Expo is also beneficial to employers who may be seeking out potential future teachers.
“They might have some openings and are ready to hire anyone who has already passed their certification tests and completed the requirements for their degree plan,” Diego-Medrano said.
There are also some school districts that want others to know they are a great school district to work for. This is their opportunity to sell themselves to potential prospects.”
Students who are currently student teaching are encouraged to attend the Educator’s Expo. There will be about 70 school districts ready to visit about opportunities for the 2014-2015 school year.
For Education students who are not yet ready to enter the classroom, attending the Expo is a way to gather information and begin their job search early.
“Often, students have a pre-conceived idea about where they want to begin their teaching careers,” Muller said. “Visiting school districts at the Expo as a sophomore or junior can provide them with a wealth of first-hand information about these communities and school systems that may change the students’ mindsets.”
Attending the Expo as an underclassman will also give students insight on what employers are looking for so they can stand out as an upperclassman.
“The Expo is open to all of our Education candidates, so in a sense, they have to stand out if they are going to be noticed,” Diego-Medrano said.
There are currently 61 school districts registered to attend the Expo. Local districts that will be in attendance include Amarillo, Canyon, Bushland, River Road and Highland Park. There will also be districts from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the Houston area, Oklahoma, Kansas, other districts from around the state of Texas and one from California attending this event.
A complete list of school districts attending can be found by logging into BuffJobs.
“The Educator’s Expo is a great place to get a lot of reliable and accurate information straight from the employers themselves, in one place at one time,” Muller said.
