As the daughter of a former elementary school teacher, Adlyn Mieras, a senior at Blue Valley West High School, Blue Valley Unified School District 229, said she’s known from a young age she’s wanted to be a teacher because, as a student, she has “wanted to learn all the time.”  

“I felt being a teacher and helping others to find that similar passion for learning is something that I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “I want to be a teacher for a long time.” 

Mieras and dozens of other Kansas high school students attended the northeast Kansas regional Educators Rising conference earlier this month where they competed in categories including lesson planning and teaching; TED talks; children’s literature; impromptu speaking; and interviewing. Future Teachers of America Day was celebrated this week, along with American Education Week.

The event took place on the campus of Mid-America Nazarene University, in Olathe, where Dr. Jill Gonzalez-Bravo is chair of teacher education and a professor of education. She said the competition is an example of generating interest and enthusiasm for teaching among high school students to stem the tide of teachers leaving the profession.   

“We’re hoping to inspire them in those early high school years to perhaps build the profession and start a grassroots movement of helping high school students consider careers in this amazing field that is so influential to our society,” she said. “It has to be a priority for not just our state but our nation. I do think we’re doing amazing things here in Kansas to propagate that idea…into our culture at large. We have to change the narrative within the profession and make it the noble profession that it has always been.” 

Cameron Sommerfield, a junior at Olathe East High School, Olathe USD 233, said she had an influential teacher in elementary school who inspired her to want to become a teacher. She said she wants to eventually teach students in the upper grades of elementary school and encourages anyone to become a teacher if that’s what they truly want to do. 

“They should follow their passion and become a teacher even if it doesn't pay that well or there’s some behavioral issues with students,” she said. “If you love it, you should do it.” 

Valorie Hayward, a sophomore at Basehor-Linwood High School, Basehor-Linwood, USD 458, said the influence of several elementary teachers she had as a child has helped her want to become a teacher of young students. 

“I love their silly personalities and how they’re not afraid to speak their minds,” she said. “It’s just so refreshing.” 

Will Schieber, a junior at Mill Valley High School, De Soto USD 232, said he wants to become a high school band teacher eventually.   

“Working toward achieving hard things and getting that sense of accomplishment is why I like band,” he said. “I think teaching is a great way to help others get that sense of accomplishment. If I can become a really good, solid band teacher that students can rely on, I can help as many people work on something that they really love doing.” 

Hope Kelly, a junior at Olathe East High School, said her passion for wanting to become a teacher someday is fueled by her love of children. 

“You get to work with those little kids, you get to work with those older kids,” she said. “You also get to work with adults, your peers, and collaboratively work together. I think it’s awesome to teach others and to help others grow.” 

Bra’ Nae Carr, a sophomore at Wyandotte High School, Kansas City Kansas USD 500, who wants to teach preschool someday, said a former teacher of hers inspired her to want to teach children with different learning styles and abilities. 

“We need teachers like that,” she said. “Not every student can learn in the same way.” 

Hannah Lewis, a senior at Mill Valley High School, said she may someday become a teacher who helps students who learn differently. However, she doesn’t know definitively if she will enter the teaching field but is open to the possibility. 

“I keep coming back to teaching because I feel I could be good at it,” she said. “I learn in different ways so I think I would try to teach my students who have different learning styles and try to be the best teacher I could possibly be.” 

Like Lewis, but just a freshman at Basehor-Linwood High School, Tydus Biondo said he doesn’t know yet if he wants to be a teacher. However, he “just wants to help someone,” he said. If he does go into the profession, Biondo said he’s leaning toward teaching math to middle or high school students. 

“I want to help younger people, I want to help someone grow,” he said. “There might be that one person’s life you can change.”  

Liz Anstine, the 2025 Kansas Teacher of the Year, told the students at the Educators Rising conference they are needed in the “noble profession” that teaching is. She said there is an increasing number of students enrolling in education programs at college campuses across Kansas. 

“We’re building back but it’s going to take you guys to have the passion and the desire to want to become teachers,” she said. “Every student in Kansas deserves to have a good teacher.” 

For more information about becoming a teacher in Kansas, visit Educate Kansas at educatekansas.org.