What Happens During Teacher Professional Development Days?

The kids have two days off of school.  Why???  Is it worth it when you have to arrange for extra child care, transportation to a friend's house or play date, and extra food in the fridge, not to mention the worries of whether siblings have survived the day at home together?  Despite these headaches, teacher professional development (PD) days are essential to the growth and improvement of our school.  

During the Monday PD, the Secondary Teachers spent the day collaborating and planning to make our Advisory Program something that makes our school distinctive among others.  Built around the IB Learner Profile, the Secondary Advisory Program picks up where the standard classroom leaves off, teaching the intangible skills for a happy life and future success, such as social and emotional intelligences, executive skills, ethics, and much more.  Our Advisory Program is essential to delivering a holistic education and properly preparing our students for challenges they will face throughout life.

During the Tuesday PD, teachers took time to break down components of assessment in education, review latest research on the topic, and began revising an outdated assessment policy.  One of the Secondary School's primary focuses this school year is upon assessment and defining a common philosophy, purpose, and policy.  The teacher's work during PD contributes to the process of creating a new and improved AISL Assessment Policy by the end of this school year.  One of the residual effects of this process is a better understanding by all teachers of what constitutes high quality and effective assessment.  

So, are two days of school missed ​by the students worth it?  Undoubtedly YES!