HAPPY Hour lets students showcase their ideas

 Every student can remember that one teacher who made learning fun, the one who took potentially challenging subjects such as math or science and turned them into exciting lessons that opened our eyes to the world around us. Without that teacher, many of us may have taken a different path through life.

 The UCF College of Education's 2012 Student Showcase featured 66 presentations from 95 student educators, many of whom will probably grow up to be that one teacher. The 350 students and faculty in attendance were treated to lessons on an array of topics, including incorporating technology into the classroom, using music and songs to teach core curriculum subjects, and using children's literature to teach the tougher topics such as math and science.

 The conference began with keynote speaker Cheryl Conley, who was named Florida Teacher of the Year in 2011. Conley emphasized the importance of treating every child who entered the classroom as if they were one of your own. To her, teaching must be fun to stimulate the student's desire to learn.

 "I don't teach like there's a test at the end of the year," she said. "…I want them to want to learn the hard stuff."

 Conley also encouraged young teachers in the audience to not be afraid of trying new strategies with their students, as that is where they'll most likely make a difference in students' lives.

"I've lived my whole life coloring outside the lines," she said. "Let your kids do the same."

The Showcase serves as the halfway point for the HAPPY Hour (Having Active Participation Prepares You) program, a series of workshops put on by College of Education faculty and staff that cover important issues for pre-service and in-service teachers. There are more than 80 workshops throughout the academic year, but what makes the Showcase unique is it allows the students to put on the workshops instead, giving them experience in presenting at a professional conference.

Luzeana Alfonzo, a senior elementary education major, gave a presentation on incorporating math learning centers into the classroom. To her, this conference is important because the teaching profession is constantly changing.

"You can never not learn as a teacher…You're always learning something new," she said.

After attending her first Student Showcase, Stacy Watkins, a junior elementary education major, said she wished she had gone to all the HAPPY Hour workshops throughout the year.

"[The presentations] are a reminder of why I chose to be an educator," she said.

The College of Education awarded two $500 scholarships at the end of the conference to two of the student presenters who applied for them. The scholarships could be used to attend any national teaching conference. This year, the winners were Nicole Yello and Laura Holling.

For Yello, a senior elementary education major, the victory came as a shock, as she tearfully accepted the award onstage. "When I heard the caliber of the people who won last year, I didn't think I was nearly as qualified," she said. "It means a lot after all the hard work."