The last 15 months of COVID-19 disruption has put the professional skills of even veteran educators to the test.
Countless teachers who haven鈥檛 passed through the doors of their school buildings since March 2020 report being more exhausted than ever. Not seeing students has, in many instances, exposed teachers to these children鈥檚 vulnerabilities. And, despite concern of the pandemic鈥檚 adverse impact on students鈥� academic achievement, many educators report being far more concerned with its effects on children鈥檚 mental health.
That鈥檚 where professional development comes in.
As the K-12 world heads into the summer months鈥攖ypically a time when educators take a break before preparing for the year ahead鈥敯拿排芄仿厶� talked to school and classroom leaders about where schools should focus their PD priorities to meet these pandemic-era challenges head on. Their observations range from the practical to the philosophical, with an eye for what鈥檚 changed over the course of the past year and an awareness of the connection between focused professional development and student success.
PD on students鈥� social-emotional learning needs
David Finkle is no stranger to professional development. A veteran language arts teacher in Florida鈥檚 Volusia County Schools, Finkle has been exposed to plenty in his 30-year career at the large district that serves more than 61,000 students. And he continues to believe in improving his skills as a teacher. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a hunger out there for PD that鈥檚 good and fresh,鈥� said Finkle, who teaches at DeLand High School, in DeLand, Fla.
But Finkle feels that most PD is moving in the wrong direction when it comes to the strategies and instructional approaches that teachers are being trained on, something that became increasingly clear during the pandemic鈥檚 disruption.
鈥淲e just keep plowing ahead with this whole assess and test [model]. The kids really don鈥檛 care about any of it,鈥� Finkle said. 鈥淚 think it needs to be a much more humanistic approach.鈥�
What he鈥檚 witnessed over the past several months has him more convinced of this than ever. 鈥淲e have kids who just don鈥檛 show up. That used to happen, but I think it鈥檚 happening at like twice or three times the rate since the pandemic,鈥� Finkle said.
Given this spike in student disengagement, Finkle suggests PD that can offer concrete ideas on how teachers can incorporate social-emotional learning into their content areas.
鈥淭he pandemic has made me realize that unless we find ways to focus on students as people and engage them as people and make the work we鈥檙e doing important to them where they are now, everything is for nothing,鈥� Finkle said. 鈥淲e have to start with them as people.鈥�
Put teachers in charge of professional development
Asked about his priorities for teachers taking part in this coming summer鈥檚 professional development, Jim Wichman says he has to turn back in order to look ahead.
鈥淚 would actually scaffold it back to April 2020, when we didn鈥檛 know what we needed to learn,鈥� said the principal of Prairie Ridge Middle School in Iowa鈥檚 Ankeny Community School District.
When it became apparent that the coronavirus was more than a fleeting distraction, he says the school recognized the need to provide regular support to teachers. The school began designating time on Wednesday mornings for PD. 鈥淲e gave teachers the gift of time to learn without distractions,鈥� Wichman said.
The school also gave teachers a choice of what to learn. 鈥淚t was the first time we really listened to the teachers鈥� voices,鈥� Wichman said. 鈥淲e started by asking teachers: 鈥榃hat do you need?鈥欌��
Wichman believes the approach is unusual. 鈥淎 lot of times it鈥檚 the administrators who say: 鈥楾his is what you鈥檙e going to learn, this is how we鈥檙e going to do it,鈥� which is anti what we tell them to do in the classroom,鈥� he said.
One immediate and obvious need rose to the forefront: learning how to effectively use technology to deliver instruction. Prior to the sudden shift to remote learning last spring, says Wichman, technology platforms like Zoom seemed to many like something out of the futuristic TV show 鈥淭he Jetsons.鈥� This, despite warnings dating to the 1990s about preparing for the 21st century.
鈥淗ere we are, 21 years into it, and we鈥檙e just now making that leap,鈥� said Wichman.
Although delivering instruction via technology became second nature to most teachers at Prairie Ridge during the pandemic, Wichman says summer PD opportunities will allow them to sharpen their skills on Canvas, the school鈥檚 recently adopted learning management platform.
Summer Academy, the district鈥檚 traditional week-long PD offering, will remain intact this year. The content, chosen with teacher input, will be delivered primarily by district employees鈥攊ncluding teachers, administrators, and counselors.
Empowering employees in these ways reflects a philosophy Wichman says has become more critical than ever during the pandemic: 鈥淭ake care of the adults so they can best take care of the kids.鈥�
Draw on teachers鈥� own personal reflections
While on sabbatical from her job as a 2nd-grade teacher and teacher leader at Bahrain Elementary School in Manama, Bahrain鈥攁 perk that came with being named 2021 Teacher of the Year Award by the Department of Defense Education Activity鈥擫achanda Garrison has had time to reflect on the professional learning she feels teachers need after the year they and their students have been through.
鈥淚 think we need to do an honest reflection on where we鈥檙e at鈥攕ocially, emotionally, academically, culturally 鈥� and then think about the professional learning that we think we may need to support our students,鈥� she said.
Garrison鈥檚 own reflections convince her of the pressing need for students to be taught by educators who are trauma-informed and 鈥渞esilient-focused.鈥� These terms roll off her tongue easily, but she does not take them lightly.
鈥淚鈥檓 just finding that it鈥檚 easy to say things like, 鈥極h, I鈥檓 trauma-informed鈥欌�� or 鈥極h, I鈥檓 culturally responsive鈥� 鈥� Or, 鈥業鈥檓 an anti-racist teacher,鈥欌�� Garrison said. But, she says, that鈥檚 not enough.
In order to adopt these labels, Garrison says, educators need to closely evaluate and perhaps make shifts in their mindsets. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more about professional learning for that accountability piece versus just slapping on a label and saying, 鈥楾his is what I am,鈥欌�� she said.
While Garrison says that there are ample opportunities to engage in PD, particularly given the rise of virtual options, she advises teachers to carve out time to reflect on the year they鈥檝e had. Those reflections should drive their choices for summer learning opportunities that address their needs as teachers. She鈥檚 already given it some thought.
鈥淚 want something that鈥檚 going to address our humanity, so that we can continue providing learning experiences that are rigorous, that elicit high expectations for all learners, because our students and educators will have been seen, they will have been heard, and they will have been valued,鈥� Garrison said.
Academics still have their place in the mix
Adam Clemons knows first-hand how the pandemic has burdened families. This April, the principal of Piedmont High School, in Alabama鈥檚 Piedmont City School District, had to juggle responsibilities to his staff and students while caring for his five young children as his wife quarantined with COVID-19.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 see how a lot of parents who have children at home are doing it, to be honest with you,鈥� he said.
But while Clemons empathizes with pandemic-related hardships, his school district has maintained a schedule more normal than many throughout the country. Since the start of the 2021鈥�22 academic year, most students have attended in-person full-time, although about 30 percent of families have opted for remote learning.
That normalcy extends to Piedmont High School鈥檚 summer plans for professional development, which Clemons says remain on track, though he recognizes there will be a need for flexibility toward staff members participating in those programs.
Piedmont will prioritize academic content areas in its professional development, such as instruction on newly implemented statewide math and language-arts curricula. Other topics include how best to prepare students for the ACT, with an emphasis on effective test-taking strategies and ways to incorporate test content, like high-level vocabulary, into routine classroom learning.
Clemons also said the pandemic experience has highlighted the need to train teachers in identifying and supporting students who are struggling with mental health issues. He noted that funding for mental health resources in schools is being discussed by the state legislature, and the issue is included in The Road to Recovery, a statewide COVID-19 plan from the Alabama Department of Education.
In considering this summer鈥檚 PD activities, he鈥檚 also conscious of the mental health of his teachers: 鈥淎ll of us, including myself, want a break this summer,鈥� Clemons said. 鈥淚f anyone is like, 鈥業 just need a break,鈥� we are totally understanding of that.鈥�
