8 Teachers Share What Professional Development Helped Them Prepare for This School Year

Teachers know better than anyone that learning never stops. So, when it comes to professional development, we decided to ask the experts – YOU! We went to our amazing network of educators on Facebook and asked, what professional development did you do over the summer that has helped you prepare for this year? What new teaching practices are you excited to implement this year? Here are a few responses that stood out:

1. “I took several courses on social and emotional health for students and how to support them as they come back into the classroom setting. I also learned more about google classroom!”
   -Blakey A.

2. “I did Professional development over self-care and social-emotional strategies to use with my students. My district provided this as well as my school. So, I feel ready to tackle this with my High school Homeroom students this upcoming school year.”
   - Jennifer M.

3. “I took part in several webinars regarding equity. Leading Equity Summit with Dr. Sheldon Eakins and Teach, Hustle, Inspire with Dr. Shuan Woodly. Both allow me to dive deeper into my understanding being an anti-racist ally.”
   - Heidi W.

4. “I attended a professional development session for our new Math textbook adoption: Envision. It’s been helpful because now I can assign video clips, assignments, and games for my students quickly and easily. I’m excited to implement Study Island during my students WIN (What I Need) time to help differentiate instruction for their specific needs.”
   - Whitney C.

5. I took a class called Empowering Students with Choice. I enjoyed making a variety of choice board activities and will implement them into my teaching this year.”
   - Lisa B.

6. I learned about Science of Reading and teaching students with Dyslexia. I am so excited to use these strategies to help our students become better readers!”
   - Cathy H.

7. “I loved, loved, loved the two weeks of PD that we have had. How often do you have the luxury of being able to process information before implementation? So far, PEAR DECK has been my favorite, but I can’t wait to start working with EdPuzzle.”

“To help me be a better teacher, I also read some very serious books over the summer [An Indigenous Peoples’ History by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi] and added many authentic works to my syllabus.”
- Laura W.

8. “Several technology related webinars to prepare for virtual teaching, specifically one on Edmentum as our district is partnering with you for the school year.”
   - Sara L.

Edmentum offers a variety of webinars each month for your professional development. This October, our webinars are focused on getting to know our programs, new features, and thought-leadership such as discussing Equity in Education and Understanding Trauma, Burnout, and Compassion Fatigue. Explore them all, and register for one today!