Professional Development has always been important to me as an educator. Not only does it help me to be a better informed educator in terms of trends and best practices in education, but it demonstrates to my students that lifelong learning is important to me. My professional development has taken various forms over the years. Often, I have taken part in professional development after the school day ends, whether it is an after-school workshop or part of a dinner meeting for Phi Delta Kappa. I have taken courses during the summer when I have found courses that fit the needs of my students and my interests. One example is spending four weeks as a fellow of the Western New York Writing Project in 2005. One critical component of that fellowship was being a part of educators that wanted to learn together and share information. We were able to collaborate on various projects, including a blog, and helped each other to create workshops about ways we were teaching our students. I feel that professional development should be never-ending, so I am in search of professional development where ever I can find it - whether that is webinars, collaborating with others on projects, and so on.
I have been fortunate that I have been able to provide professional development workshops as well. For example, I presented at Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society for Education's Convocation in Orlando, Florida in 2001. I have presented locally to colleagues as well as part of Quality Schools, a before-school professional development group at Anthony J. Schmidt Elementary School. I was a lead presenter to colleagues when scoring Grade 3 and Grade 5 Assessments at Brocton Elementary School.
I hope to continue to receive and give professional development throughout my teaching career. Collaborating and sharing ideas with colleagues is one way we can make education better for our students, especially in changing times of Core Curriculum. My hope is to one day attain National Board Certification, the ultimate professional development.
