More than 400 high school students will attend the SIU Future Teachers Day on Nov. 13 at the Student Center. (Photo by Todd Duermyer)
November 10, 2026
Hundreds of students coming to SIU for Future Teachers Day on Nov. 13
CARBONDALE, Ill. — More than 400 aspiring teachers will visit Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Friday, Nov. 13, for SIU Future Teachers Day, an interactive event for area high school students.
Formerly known as SIU Education Day, the event, held at the SIU Student Center, is part of the university's multifaceted efforts to address the ongoing teacher shortage.
Participants from many schools will enjoy a variety of fun, educational, hands-on sessions. More than 40 offerings cover a wide range of topics and each high school student can select three sessions to attend. The innovative workshops include such titles as “Occupational Therapy in the Classroom,” “You Were Learning — You Just Didn’t Know It! “Remembering the Power of Play,” “Steal Like a Teacher: The ‘Say Something’ Hack for Studying Now and Teaching Later,” “Future Teachers in Action: Real Stories from the Classroom,” “Camp in the Classroom: A Teacher’s Toolkit for Outdoor Learning,” and more. The day starts with a keynote address from Francis Kozub, associate dean of the SIU School of Education.
One of the day’s highlights is the midday resource fair during which more than 30 SIU departments, units and education-focused organizations share information and chat with students open-house style in the International Lounge.
Media Advisory
Reporters, photographers and video crews are invited to cover SIU Future Teachers Day 2026, which begins with a welcome at 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13, and wraps up at 1:30 p.m. The most opportune time to obtain videos, photos and stories is during the resource fair, which takes place in the International Lounge on the second floor of the Student Center from 10:45-11:45 a.m. For more information or to pursue other story opportunities, contact Maeve Kirk, interim director of the Executive Ed.D in Higher Education program, at maeve.kirk@siu.edu or 618-453-6352.
Educating our future teachers
Students from Anna-Jonesboro, Carbondale, Carrier Mills-Stonefort, Carterville, Cobden, Crab Orchard, Du Quoin, Elverado, Gallatin County, Goreville, Hardin County, Harrisburg, Herrin, Johnston City, Joppa, Marion, Okawville, Pinckneyville, Pope County, Shawnee, Trico, Vienna and West Frankfort high schools have registered to attend.
SIU’s School of Education, the Southern Illinois Future Teachers Coalition (SIFTC), and Educators Rising Illinois are partnering to sponsor SIU Future Teachers Day. SIFTC is a grant-funded partnership including SIU, the Illinois State Board of Education, John A. Logan College, Shawnee Community College and 20 high schools from the Southern Illinois region. SIFTC is instrumental in the creation and support of Future Educators clubs within the participating high schools for students who are interested in pursuing careers in education. Educators Rising Illinois is part of the Illinois Education Association (IEA) Educator Pipeline that provides support to the growth of educators beginning in high school through their first 10 years in the profession.