How to Run the BEST Teacher Professional Development in the World!

I was a school administrator from 2007 to 2020. There is one thing every administrator wants, and that's expert teachers. And here's why?

Expert teachers need less babysitting. Expert teachers need less supervision. Expert teachers ask better questions and expert teachers boost student achievement.

Pretty good! If you are a school administrator, the dream is to run a school filled with expert teachers.

On the other hand, your job is 100% harder when it's filled with average teachers. And that's because your walk-throughs need to be very specific and targeted. Average teachers make a lot of mistakes in class. Average teachers trigger students. Average teachers piss off parents. Average teachers make your job harder to do.

Not to mention, average teachers over complicate the role of teacher.

But what can you do? There is no professional development program that helps average teachers become expert teachers. It doesn't exist.

Wait a second! I solved that problem.

When I took over my K12 program in 2007, I was faced with this exact problem. I had a building filled with average teachers. And my life was a chaotic mess. I spent hours on the phone with parents who were hopping mad because the teacher said "x" to their kid and they wanted me to do something about it.

I had followed the protocols. I ran a teacher needs survey, I formed a professional development committee, I created a PD calendar and booked PD presenters and educational consultants.

You already know the results. None of it worked. Yes, teachers learned new skills, but they didn't become BETTER teachers. Hmmm??? Interesting? Isn't PD supposed to help teachers improve their performance in class?

That can't happen if the PD you schedule doesn't teach teachers HOW TO TEACH better.

So I did what no other administrator wanted to do. I cancelled all of my PD workshops and seminars. Why waste valuable money and resources on something that doesn't work? If you think that's a crazy move, you aren't alone. Every district around me thought the same thing. Even the government officials were concerned I had lost my mind.

The problem we face in 2022 is that we keep doing really dumb things and hoping we will get "excellent" results. What makes me look crazy is that I don't blindly follow what other people are doing. I actually use "higher order critical thinking skills" and research what everyone is doing and "ENSURE" that what we do makes 100% sense.

And what we do for Professional Development makes 0% sense.

Enter the Teacher Development Program

It took me 2 years of research and field study to develop this groundbreaking program, but it works. What it does is help average teachers become expert teachers in two full school years.

The end result is that you are supervising a building of expert teachers, rather than babysitting a bunch of average teachers. No more dealing with average teachers who get into "power struggles" in the classroom. Because expert teachers don't do that.

No more dealing with average teachers bickering with each other, because expert teachers don't do that. And no more pulling your hair out because student achievement is below standards, because expert teachers boost student achievement.

Think about the money you are wasting on ineffective PD. Think about the hours of time wasted, that could be better utilized. Think about the countless hours of stress caused by average teachers that could go away, ONLY if you ran a better teacher development program?

If you want to stop doing what everyone else is doing and getting the same lackluster results, then make a comment and post your questions. Start using your higher order critical thinking skills for once. Lead by example. If you want teachers to think more, you need to start thinking more first. Don't blame teachers for being lazy, when you just copy-cat every other school. School problems start with poor leadership. That's you! Stop being the problem and start becoming the solution.