Future teacher expo in Colorado hopes to inspire next generation of educators amid teacher shortage

Colorado is trying to avert a crisis in public schools. Eight in 10 teachers say they know someone who has left the profession. Many career teachers are also nearing retirement.

Fifty-two percent of Colorado teachers say staffing shortages are now worse than in years past, according to the Colorado Education Association. Districts across Colorado are in need of more teachers.

According to the Department of Education, in 2024 Aurora's school district was short 180 teachers, Cherry Creek Schools was down 188 positions, Douglas County was seeking 56, and Thompson Schools were short 62 teachers.

The top reasons teachers are leaving the classroom, according to the Colorado Education Association, are the workload and attacks on the curriculum or educators' freedom to teach.

On Friday, the University of Colorado Denver hosted a Future Teacher Expo. Put on by the Colorado Department of Education, the Center for Rural Education and TEACH Colorado, the expo hopes to attract newcomers to the field and show them the joys teaching can bring.

"We're constantly needing to replace folks who are moving on, maybe to other professions," said Marvin Lynn, dean of the School of Education and Human Development at CU Denver.

As teachers leave the classroom, the need for new educators increases.

"A lot of it has to do with the pay and, you know, long hours, right? And so we try to encourage people to think about the difference that they can make in the lives of students," said Lynn.

It's why the Colorado Department of Education is trying to inspire the next generation of teachers.

"If we prepare them well to face both the challenges and the opportunities of being in the classroom that they're going to really make a difference," said Lynn. "How do you become a successful teacher who cares about kids, whose kids will understand that you really are there to help them be sort of change makers? In a world that really needs that today."

"I want to be a teacher. I want to teach kindergarten or first grade or high school drama," said high school senior Carter Hitchens.

High school senior Carter Hitchens knows how important a good teacher is. Both her parents are teachers.

"I just want to be like a teacher that can, like, make sure kids feel safe," Hitchens said.

On Friday, Carter and 200 other high schoolers got to hear from current teachers, teaching students, and alumni at CU Denver's School of Education.

"I'm doing special education so my hardest part would be finding a way to meet that student's needs in order to be successful," one panelist said.

"I definitely believe that it's important for students to know what the realities of teaching are," said Dr. Nicole Rudman, Pathways to Teaching coordinator at St. Vrain Valley Schools.

Rudman works to bring high schoolers interested in teaching into the classroom.

"I've always loved kids, and I just knew that I always wanted to be a teacher. It's the right place for me," said Rudman.

She wants to show them the joys of a profession that can make a difference.

"You have an opportunity to really change the world," said Lynn. "Think about where you fit in based on your background, your skills, your interest. There's something here for you."

"It's a really stable profession with one of the best retirement systems in the state. So may not be flashy, but it's really great and secure," said Rudman. "It's one of the most meaningful professions that you can join. I mean, we are the profession that supports all other professions, and so I think just go for it. I think you'll be very rewarded."

This is the 23rd year CU Denver has held the expo.

Lynn said there are a variety of different teaching opportunities for students to explore. There is an especially high need right now for teachers in rural areas and special education.