Professional development is very important for teachers because it trains us to do our job the best that we can and it keeps teachers up to date on the most current,best curriculum, and teaching methods available.
Teaching is a profession that is suffering in the areas of budget cuts and freezing of pay increases, but I like to think that most teachers like myself didn't get into this profession for the paycheck. Teachers have a very important and serious public service to provide. We prepare the youth in our counrty to become the citezins we need to carry on the American tradition of keeping our country great!
I am motivated by being a good team member for my school and district. I want our school and the students attending there to be the best in the district. I want to inspire other schools and teachers to try the things I am doing and I want ideas and skills shared with me. I want to be valuable to my principal. I want that person to know that I take my job seriously and I will work hard to be the best teacher that I can possibly be at their school. I want parents of my students to be happy with the job that I am doing. I want them to know that when their child leaves them each morning that they are not only in a safe and loving teaching environment, but also that their child is getting the best education that they can. I want my students to enjoy learning in every subjct. I want to make them passionate about their education and strive to do the best that they can. These things represent my intrinsic motivation to learn all that I can.
Extrinsic motivators that I seek is winning grants that I have written. I would also love to be the Teacher of the Year at my school someday. I want to earn the title, not just be someone that hasn't won it yet. Also, there are great professional development opportunities that pay a stipend and/or provide you with very valuable supplies and teaching manuals.
There is not one single negative thing I can say about professional development. You are required by your administration to get a certain number of hours each year. You are required to take FERPA and other trainings each year. It is apart of the job. It is a vital part of our job.
So true! If we wanted to make money being teachers we would move somewhere else or we'd be doctors at a Teaching Hospital! Its exactly what you said, we have chosen this profession to make a difference, not to make money. Obviously, we all want to be rewarded for our hard work, but as teachers I think you go into the teaching environment knowing most of the rewards aren't going to be available for deposit in your checking account. Our rewards come in knowing we are molding students into, as you said, citizens, and we are doing the best we can. The continued pursuit of professional development is vital to receiving that kind of non-monetary validation and self-satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteThe community aspect of professional developing is a side that I completely ignored. Sometimes it's important to look at the bigger picture and say to yourself, "I'm not alone. There are others out there that my actions can and will affect."
ReplyDeleteWhile professional development improves the teacher as an individual, it also, as you mention, helps the students, the parents, the administrators, and the school as a whole. Ultimately, professional development will indirectly help a larger community because it improves students' education, and they are our future leaders, teachers, and citizens.
I have a feeling you are a VERY valuable member of your faculty with your upbeat, moving forward attitude. At the end of every school year in my department meeting, we discuss what professional development opportunities we have capitalized on and how we have incorporated our new knowledge in the classroom. Consistently two of my ten teachers have done only the bare minimum 15 hours that are provided by the district even though they can clearly see how excited the rest of us are to share our outside experiences. It is so frustrating! They are cheating both themselves and their students.
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