State Department of Education hosts "EngageOK" Conference in Duncan
DUNCAN, OK (KSWO)- Hundreds of teachers from across southwest Oklahoma gathered at Duncan High School on Wednesday for the State Department of Education's fourth annual EngageOK Summer Education Conference.
The conference which is broken down into sessions provides professional development to educators and updates school district leaders on the latest developments in the state legislature.
"As a teacher, my goal is to be the best teacher I can be for students and this is just another reason another way for me to do that," said Lesa Hefner, Teacher and Internship Coordinator at Duncan High School.
Hefner was just one teacher engaged at the conference.
This is the third year the state department has taken the program on the road, visiting different schools across the state.
Educators took part in programs and sessions on classroom management, academic standards, and teaching practices including a popular session titled, "What Students Wish Their Teachers Knew."
"So, that was kind of cool too to get the student perspective on issues that concern the classroom such as cell phones and how to deal with problems in the classroom," said Hefner.
This year they also added a session that invited local business leaders for a discussion.
State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said the day was important for the state to show support to teachers much like earlier this year during the walkout.
"We have nearly 700 thousand Oklahoma children and we still are experiencing a teacher shortage. The pay raise is long overdue," she said. "We need that and it's going to take time to also address the rest of what is missing"
On average, nearly 50 thousand teachers across the state will notice an increase of six thousand one hundred dollars by August 1.
Hofmeister said the increase in teacher pay is a start of more changes to come and the summer conference is a great way to kick things off.
"It's going to take time to also address the rest of what is missing in classrooms and those are resources," said Hofmeister. "Our teachers have given a lot we are grateful for that and we want them to continue to tell the stories of kids in their classrooms."
"This is kind of something to kind of energize you and get you excited about starting the year," said Hefner.
Duncan High School was one of seven locations and the second to last stop for the conference.
The state department will wrap up the last workshops and sessions in Woodward.
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