Differentiating Professional Development for the Teacher

September is over half way through.  At this point, many of us have sat through at least a handful of professional development sessions this month.  Having served on the professional development committee for four years, I can say trying to plan (and execute) professional development is not easy.  Between the demands of the district and in-school needs, there is barely any time left to provide teachers with what they feel is important. In conversations with my 'teacher-friends,' I have found this leaves many feeling frustrated, seeing it as a waste of time instead of an asset to teaching.  Therefore, here are some quick tips to make professional development worthwhile to the audience, the teacher.

-Provide an opportunity to create a finished product.
At the very least, even if partially finished, teachers like to walk away with something they can use in the classroom.  Last year I took part in workshops on using online apps in the classroom along with creating and using websites.  The fact that we were given time to CREATE our own teacher websites made this one of the best professional developments I have attended.

-Differentiate...for the teacher!
Many times, presenters like to model best practices in their workshops.  However, differentiation isn't always one of them.  I have sat in on workshops for something I have given training on before!  Needless to say, our inner teenager kicks in.  Doodling, the tiles on the floor, the ticks on the clock all become more interesting and entertaining than what is going on.  Differentiating, even if it is splitting the whole group into groups based on the levels of knowledge on the topic, can allow for teachers to work on different paces and in what they need.  Having groups present one thing they accomplished/learned/found interesting can share new knowledge and ideas without sacrificing teacher engagement.

-Be prepared.
Make sure there are enough copies, enough seats (or room), and that any technology you need is running correctly.  Remember, we are your students.  Prepare, prepare, prepare.

-Avoid lectures.
This may fall under differentiation, but I think it needs to be its own entity.  Give small activities to do, reflections, movement, time to pair-share, etc.  Break up the session into pieces so that the teachers can actually absorb the information and make sense of.  Twenty minutes of non-stop rambling on the marvelous things the new electronic grade book can do without actual time to apply anything is utterly pointless.  Where do I find "log-out"?

-Pay attention to what teachers need.
There will always be things that seem more important such as providing teachers with training on the newly adopted curriculum, textbook series, evaluation system, and so on.  However, do not ignore what teachers are stating they need or want.  Provide a chance to address these issues or concerns.  Something small to try is taking an hour out of a staff development day or perhaps one monthly meeting to have small sessions running throughout the school that address things teachers may want professional development on.  These may include how to deal with difficult student behavior, creating effective homework, or increasing student engagement.  Teachers can volunteer to provide this in-house pd.  Ultimately, they are the ones in the classroom, trust in them.

Teacher Burnout: A Positive Resolution

It is the day after Labor Day.  Across the nation, teachers are officially back to school, either prepping for or receiving actual students.  Like all of these teachers, I am here as well, sitting through countless meetings, trying to absorb all of the changes that will be coming into play this year, from new staff members and administration to a new evaluation system.

Change, when it is so much at one time, can become very overwhelming and frustrating.  Last year, between being a first time mother and full time teacher and graduate student as well, I was screaming, "I don't exist!" by the end of September. Change is inevitable but can have a negative impact if not handled well.  By Thanksgiving, I was burned out.  I was dragging my feet to work, not wanting to leave my car, much like the feeling you get when the alarm clock rings and you hold on to your covers like a life line.

Teacher burnout is real.  We start focusing on all of the negatives.  My colleague forgot to return the borrowed rulers, and I need them TODAY.  Why is the copy machine not working? My students never complete homework.  The list seems as endless as the pile of papers you have to grade. To avoid getting teacher burnout or at least prolong it to March (and not November like me), I have realized I need a system in place to keep me going through the tough, not-so-happy times.

My new school year resolution or teacher burnout challenge is to post something positive (in my teacher-life) everyday of the school year.  I want to focus on the small things that make me happy as a teacher.  To follow my teacher 'positivity' posts, follow this blog on twitter @middleperspects.  These daily positive moments will be my launching pad for future blog posts as well.  I invite our readers to join in on this challenge.  Let's make this a positive-filled school year! :)

Dear Me (Six Augusts Ago)

A little over a week was left till the school year began.  This was your first teaching position, alone, in your own classroom.  Who said you could have the training wheels taken off?  All of a sudden, the time spent student teaching seems too short.  A mix of euphoria and nervousness settles into the pit of your stomach.  It turns into a game of counting sheep for nights leading up to the first day of school: Your. First. Teaching. Position. Alone. In. Your. Own. Classroom.  

You stepped right into the-end-of-summer-vacation tradition started by teachers before you: you got into your classroom the week before you actually started teaching.  Cleaned out all of the old, dust-ridden 1970's English books, the random beading supplies and rock-hard sculpting clay.  September of 2007, your classroom went from being a language arts and art classroom to now housing only seventh grade mathematics.  (As a matter of fact and some readers are probably wondering with me, why did you not save the beads?  Those are valuable math manipulatives. However, that will be a later discussion).   Essentially, you started what you should have done every summer after: de-cluttering whatever was collected that year before.  In every teacher, there is a small hoarder living inside, screaming to save the 30 broken white crayons and 12 half-used notebooks.  Rule of thumb you will learn the hard way when years later, you will have to move classrooms and trash fifteen bags worth of your six-year long collection: if it was not used in the past year, trash, recycle or pass along to someone who (thinks) can use it.

Sharing or giving leads to meeting and making new relationships - along with smiles.  I wish someone would have told you would need any way possible to get into the previously created cliques.   Even if you could not find any teacher to take those brittle, yellow-paged English textbooks, this could have helped you meet new coworkers.  Sweating in unity, the last few days of your summers off and stepping in with an "offering" can be icebreakers.  Summers later, you will finally notice s^3 works: smile, sweat, and share.

Speaking of people, you brought your posse to help - mother, 17 year old brother, and best friend, who helped you clean, set up bulletin boards, and arrange desks.  By enlisting the help of any victim around you with any free time, you got your classroom in tip top shape. Garfield the Cat motivational poster was up. Variables and Patterns word wall was finished. The student supply center was organized.  Always keep looking for those volunteers and keep them coming <insert your choice of "offering" here>.  

Once you got the physical space of your classroom organized, you went into the management portion. You drew up a seating arrangement with names jotted in and thought of some classroom rules.  Boy, that first year was rough. Your second year, you will do much better. That Harry Wong book will come in handy, helping you create clear classroom expectations and a math contract directed to both students and their parents, informing them of your procedures and course outline.  However, this, too, you will change. As years go on, students will help you create the classroom expectations, taking ownership of what behavior is acceptable. You will eventually create a classroom website that will house all of this information, putting the responsibility on your students if they lose any copies.  Go ahead and introduce your website on day one.  Your sanity, the environment and your school's ten year old copy machine will thank you.  You should have done all of this from day one on year one of your teaching career.  Classroom management should never be an after-thought, especially if you cherish your sanity.  As a matter of fact, since your school is organized into learning communities, you should have used the house teachers for help in this area.  You could have saved yourself many headaches tackling the behavior problems that would arise, low homework completion rates, and understanding the overall running of the school if you would have hunted the veteran teachers down.  (I can attest, they are friendlier than they seem and willing to be used).

Who knew so much would go into that week before starting your first day of your new life as a teacher, huh?

You did well in the culminating step: picking out the outfit.  You wanted to strut into your classroom first day of school and mean business, not blend in with your 24 taller-than-you seventh graders.  Even though this meant saving your Forever 21 inspired outfit for later on in the school year.   You wore something professional that made YOU feel in charge.  You knew exactly which outfit that was: your high-waist, knee-length black pencil skirt with a 3/4 sleeve, burgundy, button-down shirt tucked in.  Oh, and you didn't forget about those things that go on your feet. You made sure they were comfortable but gave you that extra humph.  As a 4'11 woman, you knew that extra humph meant three-inch, black pumps.

Fast-forward six Augusts later, to 2013.  You are now about to begin your seventh year of teaching.  You have entered into the last-week-of-summer countdown.  Teacher routine activate!  Even though you are no longer that first year teacher, you remain reflective, (better) prepped, and open to the new challenges ahead, though that feeling of counting sheep will never leave you.  

Sincerely,

Me (Six Augusts Later)