The University of Tennessee at Martin’s Educator Preparation Program in the College of Education, Health and Behavioral Sciences will host its third annual Diversity Conference from 1 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 16, in the Boling University Center’s Duncan Ballroom.
This year’s conference topic is “Embracing and Fostering Inclusive Classrooms” and includes presentations from local education professionals.
The keynote speaker for the conference is Lathon Ross, a 2023 graduate from UT Martin and the Call Me MiSTER program. He is currently a fourth-grade math and science teacher at Paris Elementary School. The Call Me MiSTER program was founded originally at Clemson University in 2000.
The program strives to increase the pool of available teachers from a more diverse background, particularly among the country’s lowest performing elementary schools.
The conference will also feature workshops that focus on nurturing relationships between families and schools, supporting students’ mental health, and managing student behavior while fostering inclusive classrooms.
Workshop speakers for the conference include Dr. Tina Williams, assistant principal at Dyersburg High School; Mildred Harber, counselor at Finley Elementary School in Dyer County; and Tim Stratton, science teacher and coach at Northside High School in Madison County.
The Educator Prep Program prepares teachers to become facilitators of active learning for preschool through 12th-grade students through a variety of diverse field-placement opportunities. The program has diversified teacher preparation pathways to accommodate the recent need for licensed educators in all program areas across the state.
For more information about the conference or UT Martin’s Educator Prep Program, contact Dr. Cheryl Stewart, EPP program manager, at cstewa72@utm.edu or 731-881-7201.
PHOTO: Lathon Ross, a 2023 UT Martin graduate and the guest speaker at the third annual Diversity Conference on Oct. 16, is shown speaking at a prior event. Ross is a fourth-grade math and science teacher at Paris Elementary School.
