This July, my friend and podcasting partner, Utah First Lady Abby Cox, hosted Utah’s Annual Show Up For Teachers conference. This has become a highlight of our summer calendar because it gives WGU a chance to interact with teachers – new, veteran, and all points in between. Unlike many educational conferences that focus on what the teacher can do for students, Show Up for Teachers focuses on what we can all do for teachers. It was wonderful to see this concerted focus on how to support teachers in the field.

At WGU, we love teachers. We are both pleased and proud to be a major partner for this important event each year. A significant part of our pre-licensure programs for teachers now focuses deeply on healthy learning, as well as building policies and practices that will create expert, informed, compassionate educators who have the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions to thrive in their classrooms. As the largest school of education in the country, we recognize the impact we have, and we want to build a pipeline of resilient, successful teachers nationwide who continue teaching for years to come.

Key to this year’s conference was the importance of connection and community for teachers. Our keynote speaker, the dynamic Marisa G. Franco, spoke about “Thriving Through Connection.” She’s a professor, a TEDTalks speaker, and a book author. She shared some of her recent research into how important it is for teachers to have a strong sense of community and a connection with other teachers. It’s good for the profession, and it’s good for the physical and emotional health of teachers, and that’s something we should all care about.

Speaking of healthy teachers, WGU’s manager for healthy learning, Dr. Mamie L. Pack, armed teachers with some incredibly useful tips and tools in her presentation, “The Joy of Teaching: How to Sustain your Professional Passion.” Central to Dr. Pack’s presentation was the reminder that teachers should focus on integrating joy into their daily lives not only because it feels good but because the science shows us it enhances our emotional resiliency, it can increase job satisfaction, it protects our bodies from stress and pain, and it has a wonderful spillover effect into other aspects of our lives and our relationships.

It brought me deep joy to see that Utah’s 2024 Teacher of the Year is our very own WGU graduate Carly Maloney. She’s been doing incredible things to create healthy learning environments for herself, her fellow teachers, and her students. You can learn more about her here.

There is so much passion in this profession. People are called to be educators because they want to have a profound and positive impact on the lives of others. What a joy it was to take a few days, and all gather to celebrate that shared love and commitment we have to the teaching profession.

You can read more about the conference in this news article in the Deseret News, and make a note to attend again, or for the first time, next summer. I’ll see you there.