One of the best ways to stay engaged as a teacher is to never stop learning. Continuous learning can be professional development provided by your school or district, pursuing additional certifications or degrees, attending professional conferences, or my favorite–reading professional literature and finding innovative colleagues and experts to follow.
On this page, I’ll share my professional reading, conference and training experiences, and my favorite teachers and experts that influence my practice.
Back-to-School Professional Development
Find my thoughts about good and bad BTS PD in this blog post https://booksteachingandmore.com/back-to-school-professional-development/.
Professional Organizations
I love my experiences with my two professional organizations National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the state affiliate Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts (TCTELA). Both have provided me with great opportunities over the years to network with other teachers and experience content experts in our field and authors of children’s, middle-grade, and young adult literature. Check out membership for the NCTE affiliate in your own state to find grade-level professional learning opportunities.
I also highly recommend joining a professional organization (union in some areas) that will provide you with work-related legal advice and representation. In Texas, these associations are not unions in the traditional sense because teachers in Texas are forbidden by law to collectively bargain or strike. The “union” organizations here help with grievances, discipline, and legal representation. The organizations also lobby for better pay and funding for schools. In our current climate, I believe it is more vital than ever to belong to one of these associations.
