Is it the first mid-year PD day for DISD. As much as I welcome the break from my students and an easy Sunday night, I can’t help but think this day is a waste. I’m thinking about my students that are missing two days of instruction in a row. I am thinking about the review I am going to need in class, how I will get to everything in this already short six weeks and I am wondering for what? As I look around the room teachers are on their computers, grading papers, putting together page long to-do lists, and a few are following along. Most of us though are feeling stressed and tired and would love a chance to catch up on all our work. Last week I overheard some first year teachers saying how nice it will be to have a day to plan and work on their lesson. Wouldn’t that be great? I felt like the Grinch stealing their Christmas when I told them that wasn’t the purpose of PD days at all. They asked what the purpose is and I honestly had a hard time explaining it. It is technically a day for professional development but I can’t remember a PD day that I walked away from feeling like I learned something. Instead we hear announcements, go over generic strategies, and address the same topics again and again.
I love learning. I like growing as a teacher and expanding my thinking. I seek out professional development opportunities I can learn from and improve my practice from. My point is I want to be in good PD. This day has the right idea and has the potential to be beneficial, but it is not. The training I need right now is not the same as the first year teachers or the 10th year English teacher, yet we are stuck in the same sessions today. We push differentiated instruction in our classroom, what about differentiated PD for teachers?
I had an idea last night. What if the entire district came together and offered different sessions you could sign up for. Instructional coaches and AP could host the sessions at their campuses. This way teachers are selecting what they want to attend, have a choice in the day, and are more likely to learn something that will impact them. It could be run like conference where you pick what to go to and report to the campus you signed up for. We are a large district and have a lot of talent, what if we start sharing that talent among the district not just in our campuses. Make this day something we look forward to.
Bottom line. Every wasted minute in my classroom is a lost opportunity. If we are sacrificing an entire day, we should make it worth it.
I love learning. I like growing as a teacher and expanding my thinking. I seek out professional development opportunities I can learn from and improve my practice from. My point is I want to be in good PD. This day has the right idea and has the potential to be beneficial, but it is not. The training I need right now is not the same as the first year teachers or the 10th year English teacher, yet we are stuck in the same sessions today. We push differentiated instruction in our classroom, what about differentiated PD for teachers?
I had an idea last night. What if the entire district came together and offered different sessions you could sign up for. Instructional coaches and AP could host the sessions at their campuses. This way teachers are selecting what they want to attend, have a choice in the day, and are more likely to learn something that will impact them. It could be run like conference where you pick what to go to and report to the campus you signed up for. We are a large district and have a lot of talent, what if we start sharing that talent among the district not just in our campuses. Make this day something we look forward to.
Bottom line. Every wasted minute in my classroom is a lost opportunity. If we are sacrificing an entire day, we should make it worth it.
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