On October 9, 2025, Woodford County High School students Sutton Sherrard, Faith Ann Davis, Rebecca Jetton, and their teacher, Mrs. RaAnn Miller, visited the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) for a meeting with Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman to acknowledge and celebrate National Be a Teacher Day.
Be a Teacher Day is a “nationwide initiative designed to ignite students’ interest in the teaching profession and address the growing educator shortage across the country” (beateacherday.org).
This year, the program was kicked off by the National Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) for students in Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) education. FCCLA helped lead this event to empower students to explore the profession of teaching, discover the many life-changing careers in education, and reflect a strong commitment to building a new generation of educators. Since its inception, other CTSOs, as well as schools and communities, have promoted and spread the word about Be a Teacher Day. Making it known that this initiative is not exclusive to future FCS or even Career and Technical Education teachers, but to all teachers!
With its inaugural year success, this campaign will continue annually on the second Thursday of October for all students interested in education. This day will provide students interested in education or early childhood careers the opportunity to connect with colleges, training, expert educators, and real-world insights into the field while gaining curricular resources.
This year, Kentucky took an interactive, insightful approach to celebrating and promoting National Be a Teacher Day. Three Woodford County High School students and three Spencer County High School students, representing FCCLA and other CTSOs, met with the Lieutenant Governor, Jacqueline Coleman, to discuss her experience in education, the importance of education to current Kentucky government officials, the plans of the six students who may have future interests in the education field, and to discuss the future of education. This opportunity allowed not only students to learn more about education, but also the chance to educate government officials on students’ take on the critical teacher shortage and what they envisioned the future of education to be.
During this meeting, Mrs. Coleman also presented a Proclamation, signed by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, declaring October 9, 2025, as “Be a Teacher Day” in the state of Kentucky.
When reflecting on the day, Woodford County student, Rebecca Jetton (12), shared, “I found it really interesting to hear her stories of her time teaching. Her teaching experience brought such an interesting perspective to her discussions as the Lieutenant Governor, and ultimately was the reason behind so many of her decisions. It was so powerful to see how education can make a difference.” Student, Faith Ann Davis (12), also explained, “It was a privilege to meet with Mrs. Coleman, such an inspiring woman and former teacher herself. It was also an honor to be even a small part of such a big day, celebrating the work of educators, as well as those who aspire to one day teach themselves.”
Woodford County was proud to promote National Be a Teacher Day and cannot wait to celebrate future teachers again next year!
