Among the ever-present demands of education today, most of us want some form of professional development, because let's make it simple and admit...we need help!! But we also don't have the time to get all the help we really need to do our best. Let me share a little about where I'm at in the so-called "adventure" that the past few years have created.
8 months ago, I decided to take a break from blogging and creating resources. My daughter was born and I was going to take the summer off, a much needed rest from the busy teacher life and time to build a relationship with my baby. 3 months turned into 6 months as I started back to teaching full time and I was still getting comfortable managing all of life with an infant. But I have seen a drastic shift in education over the past year, dare I say even 6 months, that has started me on a journey to bring life back into the work we do! To point out the flaws in our educational system, but also to support teachers with resources, strategies, and motivation. To keep the work we do simple and stream-lined, while also allowing us the flexibility to differentiate and scaffold learning for our students. To give us educational resources to further our learning and development as educators, but also give us room to breath, refresh, and take delight in the everyday things that matter. So where do we go from here? All this sounds great, but how do we get from the tired, stressed out, de-motivated teacher we've become to a thriving, confident, and enthusiastic educator?
The world of professional development has shifted online in a surprising way and there are actually more opportunities for you available online than ever before. From books to podcasts to webinars, the list of quick and simple opportunities to learn a bit here and there and be motivated to take back your inspiring role as a professional educator is endless. Over the next few blog posts I share, I would love to invite you on a journey into some professional development reviews. I will share some of the more profound and engaging books, podcasts, and resources I have dived deeply into. I hope that you can take at least one of these resources and devote some time to engage in extensive learning even if in small chunks.
Ideas for engaging in educational resources for teachers on a time crunch:
Read a book, just a chapter each week.
Listen to a podcast, even if only 10 minutes a day.
Take one evening a month to engage in an online webinar.
Explore some educational blogs.
Subscribe to a monthly/quarterly magazine for educators.
Sign up for daily motivational emails sent directly to your inbox.
Follow a Facebook page for teachers.
The ideas could go on, but hopefully you will find a few ways to extend your learning, find motivation again in teaching, and feel rejuvenated and as though you are not alone in the struggle. The struggle is real!! Even those that seem together are hurting and desiring more. Education has broken many of us over the past few years, even the best of us. Whether you are just dealing with the job day-to-day, or near your wits end with the educational field, know that we are all there. And I hope you can hold onto even the smallest sliver of hope that something will change. We often need to go through the darkest of valleys to get the the magnificent view on top of the mountain and I believe that one of these days we will be headed back up to the mountain top.
Only if you have been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain. ~Richard M. Nixon
