As a professional, I am proud of my job and I want to be the best teacher I can possibly be. I know this is the case for many of us, and I have conversations on an almost daily basis about this with my colleagues. I feel that we are at a time where there has never been so many options available to us for improving our practice, yet there has never been so many obstacles from preventing us taking advantage of this.
During the summer, I started my Twitter account and began building my PLN. I have found, and used, some incredible ideas from here. Although Twitter alone has opened up so many possibilities to help me develop my practice, I am becoming increasingly frustrated that the time to take advantage of this has to be on a weekend or during a holiday. Now, I love my job, so I do this anyway. However, should we be expected to?
I really wanted to sign up to the UKEdChat online conference this week. I think it's a great idea you can re-watch the talks. However, I wondered, when will I ever get the time to watch them when I have an endless list of tasks to complete between now and the Christmas holidays. I also have an education reading list which I think will develop my skills and present new ideas to use in the classroom. I even attempted to create an informal CPD book club at my school, but understandably so, I got very few takers due to the time pressures of the job. But in which other profession would someone use their time at home for CPD?
This is the problem. As we are so dedicated to our jobs, and we want the very best for our students, the industry can, and has, taken advantage of our enthusiasm. I am equally to blame for being a part of it. It's about time that CPD was taken seriously. Could teachers be given allocated time in their weekly timetable for CPD? One hour a week to watch an online conference, read a book, update subject knowledge or share ideas with colleagues? This shouldn't be restricted to the odd one day course or inset along with a twilight after school every so often. How can teachers be expected to keep up to date with the ever changing curriculum and new tech pedagogy in the current education climate? The world around us is changing, and education needs to start catching up.
Timetabled CPD would have numerous benefits on a school, its pupils, and staff. Better teaching, increased pupil engagement, and higher staff morale to name a few. But with the obvious issues stagnating the progress of education, CPD will continue to become an afterthought.
I have the greatest respect for educators that go above and beyond trying to improve the learning experiences for their students. But where should we draw the line before we are offered the respect we deserve? Will CPD ever be valued in education? If so, when and how?
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