It was on a Monday morning when I heard a teacher complain that “professional development is unnecessary” and teachers “already know how to teach.” This shocked me, as I always assumed professional development was to help teachers understand and embrace evolving methods of instruction: lessons explaining how a history teacher should navigate current events or how an English teacher could prevent AI usage. So why do some teachers not find importance in these lessons? 

To start at the beginning, Professional Development (PD) is a mandatory or voluntary practice by schools to improve a teacher’s skills and knowledge. The main goal of reteaching and upkeeping these skills is to benefit the students’ education. However, a student cannot benefit from these lessons if a teacher does not understand the lessons’ importance. 

After speaking with many teachers, there seem to be similar sentiments regarding why PD isn’t helpful and how it could be improved. They mentioned how further choice on lesson and further time with fellow educators could improve PD. With these ideas implemented, perhaps teachers would take more away from PD.

Some other teachers suggest that PD does not need to be improved to this extent, but rather the teachers need to improve mindsets. PD requires one to be open to change and new ideas. Although one may have been through schooling and countless years of being an educator, education is always evolving. Each generation and set of children are different from the years prior; therefore, the way teachers deal with students and teach lessons must also shift. If a teacher enters a lesson thinking they have enough experience, they are bound to learn nothing. This in turn reflects in students and their efforts. When PD isn’t taken with an open mind, children do not receive the best schooling possible, and students should be the top priority. Teachers should always work to do what is best for their kids. Someone who teaches must always be learning.