“Someone is waiting for the educator you will become,” Solomon Moore remarked in his session Sunday. Ironically, Solomon’s decision to become a teacher was spurred by his unwillingness to take a math test his freshman year. Given the choice to shadow a job or take a math test he wasn’t ready for, Solomon chose the former and spent the day shadowing Mr. Brown, a special education teacher at his school in Hoover, Alabama. The experience opened his eyes to a classroom where students were reading rather than being read to and were engaged in discussion with one another rather than being told what to think. “They weren’t being given an education,” Solomon noted, “they earned it.”

Solomon, who was elected as a 2026 National Student Officer, pointed out that when we think back on our favorite teachers, none of the traits that defined them are skills that can be gained from a credential program. These soft skills can perhaps be best developed by reflecting on our experiences as students—both positive and negative.

When Solomon was in the first grade, his father’s work responsibilities prevented him from attending the bring-your-dad-to-school day. Solomon was crushed and acted out. Rather than being supportive and understanding, Solomon’s teacher criticized him and coldly told him to pull himself together. Unfortunately, Solomon observed, most students have had experiences like this. Using brainstorming techniques and group discussion, Solomon encouraged attendees to visualize these failed moments and imagine how they would’ve responded differently as a teacher in that scenario. He emphasized that just as teachers have the power to nurture and watch a student’s education thrive, they also have the power to uproot it and throw it away.

Solomon spoke with a sophisticated, steady cadence that made him seem wise beyond years. In fact, when he joked at the beginning of his session about being 33 years old, it was funny because, for a brief second, it seemed almost believable. But, after the session, as we went down the escalator together, his eyes went wide with the sudden realization that he had left his bag behind. I remembered then that he’s just a high schooler too. He turned quickly and bounded backward across the descending steps, a moment that seemed fitting for someone who had urged us all to look backward in order to go forward.