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2017-05-22

Professional Development For Teachers Should Be An Important Priority

By Donald Myers


There can be no doubt that the educational system has changed. Teaching is no longer seen as a calling but rather as just another job. Educators have a difficult time. They have to work under tremendous pressure and they are expected to perform well despite all the institutional factors that make such accomplishments almost impossible. Sadly, professional development for teachers does not seem to be a high priority.

The lot of educators is not an easy one. They do not only conduct their classes, as many parents and others tend to think. They are, in fact, over burdened. They have far too much administrative responsibilities, they have to be involved in after hours activities, attend numerous meetings and find the time to prepare their lessons. It is no wonder most educators simply do not have the time to think about their own growth as educators.

It is not only educators that are under stress. The entire system is under enormous pressure. Not enough resources are allocated to education. There are too few educators, a shortage of teaching aids and endless problems with routine maintenance of facilities. Discipline in the schools are deteriorating and there is just not enough support available from the authorities. It is not surprising that educators simply do not have time to grow professionally.

Happily, there are some efforts to address these problems. One such effort is the system of instructional rounds. This system, which is easy to implement, simply involve groups of less experienced educators visiting the classes of experienced and acclaimed colleagues to see how they do it and to learn from them. The system has been implemented in many schools and have receive a thumbs up from everyone involved.

Studies focusing on acclaimed and successful educators show that they take personal responsibility for their own professional growth. They tend to use technology to improve their techniques and to interact with their students. They belong to online professional forums where ideas and problems are shared. They truly believe in the value of quality education and they are willing to sacrifice in order to provide that quality education.

There can be absolutely no doubt that the internet can play a very important role in raising the quality of education and helping educators to grow professionally. There are numerous sites that focus on aids that can be used freely. There are worksheets to be downloaded, tips and advice and a myriad of sites that can provide ideas on how to present difficult concepts in an easy to understand manner.

The modern trend of saying that trying your best is good enough is not good enough. Students will soon learn that modern life is extremely competitive and that a poor education, where good enough was the standard, will get them nowhere. Successful nations pay close attention to the quality of their educational systems and, of course, the professional development of their educators.

An under achieving youth cannot guarantee a great future. Every nation owes its success to the quality of its educational systems. If educators are given the opportunity to grow professionally, everyone benefits.




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