The last thing I wanted to do this morning was attend a conference sixty miles away in Niagara Falls.
I was pre-registered and my Title VII friends had paid for my registration fee so I felt obligated to attend. I called my colleague in the middle school who assured me he would handle any “emergencies” and off I went to the conference.
This was the very best thing I could have done today. It was an excellent conference on Indian Education with sessions that really got me thinking about the “big issues” and about good instructional strategies. I’m so glad that by attending I got to see Dr. Lloyd Elm receive an award. I hold Dr. Elm in extremely high regard, as he’s one of the finest educators I’ve ever known.
Attending this conference reminded me of the big picture, of the real reason I’m here. Allowing myself to get away from the day to day operations, the sometimes difficult “trouble shooting, plug your finger in one hole as another one pops open” kind of day, reminded me of why I do this job.
I concentrated on my own learning and it was invigorating. I wish I had unlimited professional development dollars so that I could send every teacher in my employ to a two-three day state or national conference from which they could return refreshed and ready to roll with new ideas.
I hope every teacher out there who is fortunate enough to work in a district with those kinds of funds truly appreciates it and takes advantage of every session.
I’ve worked in a few districts and found that most value the need for professional development for the teachers as well as the administrators. The other districts, though struggling just as much as G-Town, have been able to find the funds to help develop and energize ALL of the employees. I guess it just comes down to priorities.