ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Some high school students considering a career in education are taking advantage of the Future Teacher Leadership Academy at the University of Missouri in St. Louis.
The Future Teacher Leadership Program in its third year at the university and some of the high schoolers who've participated in the past have gone on to major in education.
"The vision that we had when it started in 2022 to now is to find local high school students who have an interest in becoming a teacher," said David Stofer with the UMSL College of Education. "It's a way for us to support them and also the schools in which they currently attend to help find a pathway to eventually becoming a teacher."
Stofer says the leadership program has been successful with Stofer saying about 70 to 80 percent who have taken the program have ended up working to get their teaching certification.
Students participating in the academy that is set to wrap up this week are taking an actual education course, along with earning a college credit.
"They actually enroll into one of our undergraduate classes called "Becoming a Professional Educator" which all of our undergraduates take," said Stofer. "They earn a college credit and hear from our faculty and staff on different areas relating to leadership development, cultural competency, character education and things like that."
Stofer says he has found those who want to become a teacher has had a good experience with a teacher.
"When we talk to all of these kids about about why they want to become a teacher, it's because there was one, maybe two individual teachers who have had an impact on them," said Stofer. "They think about the chance they have to make a similar impact on future students just like that teacher made an impact for them. That's the number one why they want to become a teacher."