District holds annual summer academy
August 13, 2008
By Laura Geggel
Even teachers need teaching.From Aug. 18-22, Snoqualmie Valley staff will have access to a variety of free classes, designed to help them become better educators. The classes range from training in special education to ACTIVboards.
Professional development classes are chosen based on staff input throughout the year, Curriculum Director Don McConkey said. Other classes update teachers with new curriculum requirements, such as the changing math requirements for graduation.
The professional development classes are sponsored by a $12,500 grant from the Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation.
“The Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation is a strong supporter of Professional Development opportunities for teachers,” said foundation President Carolyn Simpson. “We are thrilled to be able to provide teachers with the opportunity to attend this educational Summer Learning Academy at no personal expense.”
The foundation, which funds projects related to classroom grants, district-wide initiatives and professional development, gave $10,000 for the summer learning academy in 2007 and 2006, with the district paying for the rest.
“The partnership with foundation has been phenomenal,” McConkey said.
Everyone in the community is invited to attend at no cost. People can sign up for classes by visiting www.svsd410.org and selecting ‘Staff Resources’ or by calling Kim Roeber at 831-8018.
The district has also struck a deal with the Riverview School District, allowing staff from both districts to attend professional development classes offered by either Snoqualmie Valley or Riverview. Last year, about 100 Snoqualmie staff out of 320 total participated in the classes, McConkey said.
Each class will give certified staff clock hours, which allows them to maintain their teaching certification.
“Over the course of the week, they can pick up 30 to 35 clock hours,” McConkey said.
“I love the classes,” said Jan Formisano, the district’s teacher on special assignment for reading and writing. “It’s a great way to get either credits or clock hours at a time when we’re not too swamped with school.”
The district holds several professional development workshops throughout the year, sometimes pulling teachers out of classrooms to teach them new skills. This year, for example, middle-school science teachers will receive scientific notebook training during the school day.
But McConkey said the district is “very cautious” in taking teachers out of the classroom.
“We don’t want to compromise the time teachers have with their students,” he said.
Other workshops are held after school, but McConkey acknowledged that an after-school class could have better timing, as many teachers could be too tired at the end of the day to absorb the finer points of the lesson.
The district’s science and technology teacher on special assignment, Kirsten Kramer, will be teaching the ACTIVboard class. Last year, she sat on the opposite side of the classroom as a student.
“The skills and knowledge I learned in the class was directly applicable to my classroom assignments,” Kramer said.
A class in envoy training taught Kramer how to expand on her nonverbal communication within the classroom. A year later, Kramer said she still uses material from the envoy class to help her reflect on and bolster her teaching skills.
Despite the classes, some teachers indicated they were unsatisfied with professional development opportunities in the Educational Effectiveness Survey. According to the survey, staff satisfaction with focused professional development has stagnated at about 60 percent for the past three years.
Yet, McConkey said teachers are a tough crowd to please.
“There will never be enough,” McConkey said. “Teachers are always looking for opportunities to improve their craft and learn new instructional strategies and things to help our kids become successful learners.”
Kramer said the Summer Learning Academy was a good start.
“As teachers, there is so much for us always to learn,” Kramer said. “We’re always trying to improve our practices. The fact that the district is offering this shows they’re supporting us for continuing to improve.”
Reporter Laura Geggel can be reached at 392-6434 x221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.
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