Introduction
"The conferences I go to, the workshops I attend, and the professional books I read are the greatest part of my learning and after twenty-seven years give me the boost to keep on teaching."
-Rich Thompson, 4th-Grade Teacher
Canyon Elementary School, Hungry Horse, Montana
Every profession has practitioners and professionals. While practitioners may be skillful and effective at many aspects of their jobs, too often they become accustomed to their current practices and forget to reflect on what else they can do to help their students do better. Professionals, on the other hand, share an urgent need to learn and grow. As a result, they actively seek ways to improve and meet newly developing challenges in their fields.
Professional development is particularly important in education. Student populations are changing, curriculum is changing, technology is changing, and the world is changing. Yet because teachers are often isolated in their classrooms, it may be particularly difficult for them to identify sources of support and resources for growth. Professional reading, study groups, workshops, and regional and national conferences all form important aspects of the professional lives of the teachers in this workshop series. In this video, they share some of those experiences and the value their professional commitments bring to their lives.
For a complete guide to the workshop session activities, download and print our support materials.
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