Teachers are some of the most hardworking, selfless and dedicated people in the world. Lesson by lesson, they build up today’s youth to become the leaders of tomorrow. Teachers therefore have a tremendous responsibility to reach every student and sufficiently prepare them for their bright futures ahead. This takes commitment to the profession, a giving heart, an energetic spirit, and a determination to meet the academic and emotional needs of every child. It’s not a career to take lightly and in that regard professional development plays a pivotal role.
“The purpose of professional development is to give teachers the time and space to reflect on their classrooms, engage in new forms of learning, network with colleagues and acquire new techniques to better help their students.”
Professional development encompasses a wide range of topics that are immediately relevant and applicable to the teachers of today. The purpose of professional development is to give teachers the time and space to reflect on their classrooms, engage in new forms of learning, network with colleagues and acquire new techniques to better help their students. It’s an incredible opportunity to explore ways to develop more meaningful relationships with students and to create lessons that will inspire and motivate students to succeed.
This week, due to the efforts of our of our growth-oriented administration and with thanks to our dedicated parent body, our RMS, KES, and EECC teachers were able to take part in some valuable professional development.
The Early Childhood teachers continued their Conscious Discipline training. Conscious Discipline is a social and emotional intelligence classroom management program designed to give teachers the discipline skills they need to address the emotional and social issues of children in the twenty-first century.
The Klurman Elementary School teachers participated in varied workshops, including a Review of Responsive Classroom Techniques, Practical Applications of Digital Citizenship in the classroom and New Insights into Motivating Students.
The Rohr Middle School teachers had a workshop on executive functioning (particularly important for middle school boys!), a workshop on integrating technology into the classroom in an effort to engage ALL types of learners, and most notably, Student Trading. Rebbeim and teachers meet one-on-one, for 10 minutes each, to collaborate and trade insights on the academic, emotional, and social needs of the students they share in order to better support these needs in the future.
Teaching is well-known to be one of the most challenging occupations. It’s a profession that takes time, commitment, and dedication, while requiring early morning start times and late night preparations. Professional development provides teachers with the reinforcement they need; because what they do each day is important, valued, and can truly change the world – one student, one lesson at a time.
The best teacher is the one who remains a forever-student. And every child deserves the best.