On August 29, the Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) will host a kickoff breakfast for current and future members. TAFE is a statewide student organization created to support members’ development in childcare and education-related fields. Members of this group also have the opportunity to join the honor society by completing TRAFLES. TRAFLES stands for teaching/training, recreation, appreciation, fundraising, leadership, education awareness, and service. Opportunities for each of these are provided by each TAFE-affiliated school. Wylie High School in particular hosts and participates in events like Parents Night Out on dates like Valentine’s Day (this year there are four Parents Night Out dates: October 16th, December 11th, February 12th, and April 8th), visiting Wylie East Elementary, raising awareness on important issues, and taking part in area, state, and national competitions.
Each TAFE chapter is led by a teacher, and Mrs. Amber Jansa is that teacher at Wylie High School. Chapters also have student officers to help lead their chapter. This year for Wylie, the president is Taylor Wood, the vice president is Jenna Thompson, and the historian is Kayla St. James. There are still two officer spots open for members to take over: secretary and financial secretary. Being an officer is a great opportunity to be more involved with TAFE and to add one more thing to a college application without feeling too much pressure or stress.
As far as competitions go, last year freshman Taylor Wood went to Nationals and won third with a presentation on how COVID-19 has affected the school system! It doesn’t matter what grade you’re in or what you like to do; from illustrating to writing to public speaking, competing is a fantastic chance to gain skills and confidence for the future! Plus, you get to travel to many different places with an amazing group of people! These area, state, and national competitions will happen on November 13 at Midwestern University, February 28–March 3 at Kalahari Resort, and June 28–July 1 at Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC, respectively.
The TAFE Kickoff Breakfast on August 29th is an amazing chance to ask any questions you might have and hear about some experiences from veteran members. The kickoff will start at 7:50 a.m. in room 614. Students are encouraged to come and take part in this amazing opportunity. TAFE is growing more and more each year, and we can’t wait to see how many students are able to go to Nationals this year!
