Future Teachers of America (FTA) is trying to push itself off the ground with the help of English teacher Judd Pheiffer and other students interested in the teaching profession.
“At this point we meet to talk about teaching, to answer questions, and just to have another community at Bowie where people that have similar interests can meet up to discuss things,” Pheiffer said. “They bring in food and it’s pretty informal and I try to answer questions whenever I can.”
The club has been on campus for a while, but Pheiffer is trying to make students aware of it to get more people involved.
“Originally Ms. McQuiston, who was the head of the English Department that has now retired, thought it was a club that would be good for me to lead,” Pheiffer said. “Most of all it’s a profession that I love and am passionate about and a profession I think would be great for Bowie students. I thought it was a great opportunity for me to give back to Bowie and hopefully help some students out who are interested in this profession.”
The National Education Association founded the organization in 1937 to inform people about careers in education. Over the years, it has been called by several names and has been owned by numerous people, like the National Education Association and the Association of Teacher Educators.
Senior co-President of the club, Jackie Gonzales, joined the club because of her interest in teaching.  She is influenced by her mom, who is a teacher, and other teachers at the school.  Her goal is to show students all the tasks teachers must complete on a daily basis.
“I think the club can influence students to appreciate the hard work that goes into teaching and the benefits of impacting a student’s education,” Gonzales said.
During meetings, the club  discusses various topics.
“We discuss the subjects that we want to teach, teachers we’d like to sit in on and observe their teaching styles, and we discuss world peace,” Gonzales said.
Although, sometimes the meetings are spent hanging out with friends.
“My favorite part about being in the club is getting to hang out with awesome people that have the same interests that I do, as well as getting rad advice from Mr. Pheiffer, the teaching legend himself,” senior co-President Lindsey Sageser
As well as meeting new people, Pheiffer’s goal is to get students ready for their future.
“I am hoping one day Bowie students could get scholarships through Future Teachers of America, that could help them out in college as far as things like scholarships and looking good on their transcripts as well,” Pheiffer said.
Currently, there are seven members in the club, but there is room for more. They meet every Tuesday to talk about teaching strategies. Students interested in joining the organization should stop by room A112.