In Practice

“In-service” and  “professional development” are usually dreaded phrases and events for teachers returning to school after the summer.  While I enjoy having extra time allotted to review new curriculum materials (familiarity with classroom resources is a good thing), applicable training on new technology tools, and discussions “designed” to help me stay current with the ever-rapid rotation of professional buzzwords, practice, and education laws we cycle through (so I *KID* about that last one), I can’t stand most meetings that are classified as PD.  Why?  Because one-size-doesn’t-fit-all when it comes to teachers trying to efficiently and successfully utilize their time when they have determined their professional needs and interests. We need time to seek out those resources most applicable to us, as well as the inclination to do so, instead of having our interests dictated to us by others.

I enjoy concerts, shared experiences with a large audience, “on subject,” if you will.  I am a willing participant.  All of the audience members, perhaps silently, agree to share the experience, usually anticipating pleasure or enjoyment.  Some might attend out of obligation, most attend out of interest.

I do not care for professional development seminars, which are usually held in similar venues, with a large audience, our shared profession uniting us.  Structural similarities to the music concert certainly exist, but most of those in attendance seem to be there strictly because of obligation, and not interest.

My favorite district in-services were in Alaska.  For several years, the district for which I worked encouraged teachers to present resources, ideas, and topics that were applicable across grade levels and curriculum subjects on our in-service days.  Kindergarten teachers could seek out presentations and information that was of use and relevant for our students, without having to listen to a presentation about new math materials for grades 1-3 (with a healthy sprinkling of “and those of you who teach kindergarten, you’ll find kind of the same thing in your teachers’ manual” thrown in to make us feel included).  Teachers who wanted extra time learning about new computer programs, health and wellness, or an overview of training they were considering for the following summer could seek out whichever presenter was speaking on each topic of interest, and attend the session.  Yep, it was our own “Show and Share,” and many teachers left each professional development day awake, alert, interested, and thinking about educationally relevant topics of interest.

It isn’t just student instruction that has become drill and kill.  Inservices and professional development for teachers are “canned,” and collegial groups usually have to handle assignments (book studies, discussion topics that HAVE to be covered, etc.) en masse.  And the documentation, oh yes, the documentation.  Take notes for each collegial group meeting that happens each Wednesday at two o’clock.  Type up “what I learned at this professional development seminar” blurbs online (or on paper) for your professional development “points.”  Submit those notes and blurbs to some person in the district who will review them all.  Uh huh.  So while I’ve now attended four districts’ worth of presentations on bullying, differentiated instruction, and NCLB issues across three states, none of my own training has been differentiated and applicable specifically to my grade level at all, except in Alaska and during my year “off” last year in Texas when I began blogging and seeking out my own PD online.

I’ve searched out new topics, I’ve read new blogs and had my interests broadened.  I’ve learned about new technology tools, and I’ve contributed to the edu-think and edu-dialogue that now happens worldwide instead of being isolated in a classroom or contained within the school’s library walls during a staff meeting.  I’ve discovered new podcasts to listen to, new recipes to try, new artists to watch, and new teaching tips to add to my bag of tricks and tools.  Instead of dreading new topics in education, I’ve wanted to learn more. If inspiration or curiosity hit me at seven in the evening, I was able to get online, find some resources, and go where the path/web led me, instead of submitting a proposal for an in-service topic that may or may not have ever been considered by the powers that be at Central Office.  I have downloaded and saved podcasts for the drive in to work. I have read blog posts from favorite authors, checked out their reading lists, and zipped over to Amazon.com and bought books that caught my eye.

My collegiality doesn’t have to occur from two to two-forty-five every Wednesday afternoon.  Prescribed, prescribed, prescribed, which is not the dynamic that motivates me.  It is merely the chore that obligates me.

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I would love to see district inservices run like TED Talks.  Have you watched “The Future We Will Create: Inside the World of TED?” Do so, do so do so. The energy is incredible.

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