BM as legit professional development for teachers

[jenn nelson]

So this year, it looks like my district will (again) be starting school before labor day. This is the second year. Many other teachers I know go back a week or two earlier. Fortunately, I requested the week as unpaid leave to attend a "internationally significant art festival in Nevada" way back in December before calendar was finalized.

While working on my overly-ambitious trailer renovation for this year's burn, I thought to myself, "self, you brought all sorts of great stuff and ideas back into the classroom when you came home last year. Probably lots of other teachers did too. What if we organized a couple 1-2hour meets/workshops/presentations and printed up a slick little booklet so we could legitimize the whole deal?"

So that's my idea. Plan some stuff, assemble a benign little conference booklet for participants to bring back to work after the burn, and repeat in order to be able to continue to attend the event despite the school calendar creeping ever so slowly toward July.

feedback?

[C.f.M.]

I know a university-level teacher here who gets to go and take two students, funded and approved by her school.

[Elderberry]

So that's my idea. Plan some stuff, assemble a benign little conference booklet for participants to bring back to work after the burn, and repeat in order to be able to continue to attend the event despite the school calendar creeping ever so slowly toward July.

feedback?

If the current budgeting trend and attitudes toward the value of public education in this country continue, you won't have to worry about that.

[Trishntek]

Remember the good ol' days when school started AFTER Labor Day and ended BEFORE Memorial Day? I think it a shame that so many educators and students are faced with this dilemma. Especially art majors and instructors,,, but also anyone involved with civics, political science or environmental studies would benefit from TTITD.

Good idea on the booklet!

[jenn nelson]

@JK-

The trend for furlough days is to insert them mid-year as 3-day weekends; longer summer breaks means more time to forget everything learned the prior year, and more review in the fall. The general movement of the start of the school calendar away from labor day and closer to July has to do with standardized testing and having winter break become the semester break in order to increase test scores.

[Elderberry]

Ya, I was sort of being facetious. Just seems public education is not valued the same today as when I was a kid. While other countries are having their kids go to school almost the entire year and have strong math and science curricula, we are busy cutting budgets and fighting to keep creationism from overtaking evolution as a valid scientific theory.

My sister just retired after 30 years in the Cleveland school system. She just couldn't take it any longer!

@JK-

The trend for furlough days is to insert them mid-year as 3-day weekends; longer summer breaks means more time to forget everything learned the prior year, and more review in the fall. The general movement of the start of the school calendar away from labor day and closer to July has to do with standardized testing and having winter break become the semester break in order to increase test scores.