The campus Education Club’s goal is to do different events and activities throughout the year to help everyone learn more about education. They meet Wednesdays from 8-9 p.m. and hope to be a place where everyone can have fun.

Sophomore Karissa Steinke got involved with the Education Club last year in the PR marketing position. She said she enjoyed the club and being involved but realized she wanted to do more. This year, she will serve as club president.

“I learned that I like to have things kind of my way so I ran for President and got it. But I just thought it would be a good opportunity to see what can happen and the path it would take,” Steinke said.

Steinke said she believes that the Education Club is a good way to get involved and connect with other people and that it can be a great experience by just showing up.

“If you put in the effort and time to come, then you’ll get something out of it,” Steinke said.

Vice President Cameron While said he has always been passionate about education and knew he wanted to be a teacher. He said he believes that people interested in the club should show up to meetings to better understand it.

The Education Club hosted a variety of different events throughout the year. Professor of Sport Science and Health Education Nicci Whalen came to a meeting to talk about brain breaks.

“We have student teachers talk in the spring so students that haven’t experienced it yet can ask those questions and like it’s kind of a preparation almost,” Steinke said. “If they’re a first-year teacher, you can ask any sort of questions and they’ll give you a wide range of answers and responses to help you.”

The club also had the Iowa Teacher of the Year come to speak. While said he enjoyed getting to know him personally.

“As the exec team, we got to meet him before the meeting and eat dinner with him and all this stuff, which was super cool. And just getting to know him on a personal level,” While said.

Steinke believed this event was good for future teachers to remind them how important they can be.

“The impact teachers make can be really crucial. He talked about teachers from his past that believed in him and supported him,” she said.

While believes that the Education Club has helped his time at Simpson.

“It’s helped me fuel my passion for education and spread awareness about education and issues within it,” he said.

Steinke said the club has helped her as well. 

“It’s just been a bonding type of opportunity, but also a way to help become more of a leader and be more involved on campus,” Steinke said.

The Education Club is combining with the education department for a spring celebration on April 13 that they say would be a good first step in getting more involved with education.

The club is always looking for new members. Though most of the people currently involved are elementary education majors, other education majors are welcome too. The club also wants more involvement from future PE teachers and music teachers, etc.

“I feel like it’s been so elementary education-focused, but secondary education and those specialty ones, like arts and those things, can still learn stuff too, because it’s still a part of education,” Steinke said.