DES MOINES, Iowa — Founded to help educators at the beginning of their careers, Emerging Educators Academy celebrated 10 years on Saturday.

The group gathered at Drake University on Saturday to celebrate 10 years and hear from the National and Iowa Teacher of the Year.

Ann Mincks, the 2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year and the Committee Chair for Emerging Educators Academy, says the opportunity to come together and learn from each other is vital.

Each year the committee tailors their discussion and breakout sessions to target and meet the needs of new teachers.

“We’ve kind of identified some trends, things that newer teachers always ask for,” said Minck. “So, a lot of that has to do with just building relationships with students, kind of thinking about how to set up your classroom.”

Emerging Educators also acts as a support group for teachers at any stage of their career, allowed people to address problems and seek out solutions.

“I just love learning from all of the amazing teachers across the state that have kind of led this process before,” said Mincks. “I also enjoy talking to all the new teachers and kind of getting that excitement and seeing what they’re looking forward to.”

There is always room for improvement and growth within the teaching community, so Emerging Educators continues reaching out throughout the year.

“In the spring, we’re going to have a series of webinars each month for topics that teachers requested today,” said Mincks. “So, we’ll be following up with new teachers across the state so they can join our webinar series in the spring.”

Minck says that teaching can be hard but by coming together to work through problems and empower young educators, they are building a stronger teaching community.