Professional Learning: Does it ever end?!

I sure hope not! Because I hope doctors and lawyers and other service-minded professionals never stop learning new procedures either! Our career is equally important. I know there are some outside our realm that do not completely understand the impact that Educators have on learning and the brain, but the work is too important to even waste a minute with our students. Working with my teachers brings great joy because even in the midst of some groaning, they are eager to learn more about perfecting the craft of teaching (and we do end up laughing about something). As we dig deeper and deeper into research and evidence, we are finding that teaching is not a haphazard adventure full of bubbly science experiments and crafts (for sure, some non-educators really think so). The intention is not to rub anyone raw, but sometimes that happens in the pursuit of knowledge and best practice. The reward is bringing others on the journey and observing the change in their instruction as they grow in the learning process. Explicit Phonics Instruction has been 4 years in the making -- learning the drills, modeling the process, learning the process, understanding how the brain works, ensuring procedures are implemented correctly without adding additional cognitive load stress. Keeping in mind that we are operating from the mindset of experts teaching novices and they deserve the time to learn what we now know. Professional Learning is not for the weak of heart. It requires us to fully reflect on our practices and if they are hitting the mark to ensure student success.  How fortunate to be surrounded by individuals that desire to change! How awesome to have leaders that allow space for professional growth! My favorite quote, from a leading expert, is currently: "Over my career, I have often had to adjust my thinking because empirical studies revealed things that I did not know or believe."  Oh wow, I love that this is what we should aim for in teaching and learning.