Professional Development.. Whatever!!!

I have seen this model in my stint in corporate America.. pay some company a ridiculous amount of money to produce beautiful slide presentations and binders, add a "knowledgeable" facilitator and the world will change. Right? .......NO!!
I received this training the Institute and the condensed version at the Freshman Orientation, so I will admit I wasn't excited at the prospect of attending another training... in the space of six weeks. While the PD course was a waste of time and money by DCPS, it served as a cautionary tale about how NOT to teach as a new teacher. Differentiated instruction was limited to content areas (sit at the maths or SPED table etc). My group consisted of two teachers receiving the training for the first time and two others like myself who recieved the training before. Needless to say this made for interesting group dynamics. The facilitator jumped from one instructional strategy to the next, I felt dizzy on several occasions. In addition, the facilitator had great difficulty truly engaging the teachers...there were the bathroom breaks, chatting, and texting. My recommendation is this cut the training to a day and a half and have DCPS teachers facilitate smaller group sessions. I trust the vet. teachers who always impress me with their know-how and experience than some former-teacher-cum-corporate suit. There was an inherent lack of effectiveness with this PD. I found it very odd that the new evaluation system was tucked into the seminar without any real clarification from the administrators about how it will be implemented at my school.

I was happy meet quite a few veteran teachers who gave great advice about "real life" in DCPS versus the PR version. However, the bitterness and resentment towards the Rhee/principals with regards to their treatment was both palpable and sad. Their attitudes reinforced the notion that most new teachers who remain in teaching are unlikely to remain with DCPS.


I LOVE my new school. The teachers/custodian/support staff/principals have been extremely welcoming and helpful. However, the amount of paperwork expected on a daily basis is horrifying.

The new DCPS rule about decreased suspensions while admirable has left me with quite a few ethical and liability concerns. I don't think students should be marked present if they are sent home. There will be no distinction in the official record book/Stars between those students who are present in school and those sent home yet present because they have the in class materials. This policy change was communicated verbally with no written documentation.If that student leaves school and is injured or cause harm, I still legally responsible. When is a lie a lie?

PS. Stipend not received.. another day with PBJ. Still can't log into PeopleSoft because of other HR issues.