There is a moment I can feel in my body, right after someone says, “We are going to honor your time today,” and right before the 47-slide deck begins. In that instant, I decide whether to brace myself or take a 47-minute bathroom break. More than once, teachers have told me they planned to call out sick on a PD day, but when they saw my name on the calendar, they showed up. I am honored that teachers feel our time together matters, but if districts require anyone to be there, everyone deserves PD that respects their time and expertise (every single time).
We don’t have to accept this low bar. Whatever our role in education, we are passionate, thoughtful, deeply invested professionals. We want to grow, collaborate, and learn. But if professional learning is going to spark the same curiosity and commitment we hope to see in our students, it must feel emotionally safe, genuinely relevant, and provide real autonomy. When those elements are missing, educators understandably shut down. When they are present, however, we get to experience learning we can live out loud, and that changes how we show up for kids.
Safety First
Emotions do not disappear when we walk into PD. They ride with us. I have felt outrage, joy, gratitude, and sometimes exhaustion in my work. The only emotion I rarely experience is boredom, unless I am trapped in PD that talks at me instead of learning with me. Emotional safety is the first ingredient in meaningful adult learning, because emotion drives engagement. When educators feel safe, seen, and respected, they take risks, share openly, and stay present in the work. Unfortunately, I’ve seen leaders say “This is a safe space,” in a tone that drips danger. Emotional safety isn’t spoken into existence–it’s built on purpose.
Respond to resistance with curiosity instead of criticism. Model vulnerability by going first and sharing your feelings honestly and professionally. Make space for both introverts and extroverts by offering ways to participate silently, verbally, or anonymously. These moves are not soft. They are strategic. When educators feel safe, they engage. When they engage, they learn.
[scroll down to keep reading]
Make It Matter
Relevance is not just about whether the content makes sense. It is about whether it makes sense that we are learning this at all. Most teachers do not disengage because they are unwilling to learn. They disengage because when PD misuses their time and ignores how previous it is. When PD feels disconnected from the work that matters most, adults do what students do in the same situation. They shut down.
Relevance grows when learners see themselves, their students, and their daily challenges in the learning. Connecting new ideas to lived experience is what makes professional learning meaningful. When I plan PD, I ask four questions:
- What are teachers asking to learn?
- Why are they telling me this content matters right now?
- How will teachers connect it to their experience?
- How will we live it out loud in classrooms tomorrow?
These questions slow me down just enough to design learning that protects teacher time and honors teacher wisdom.
Give Real Choice
Autonomy shows that we trust teachers as professionals. When adults have meaningful choice in how they learn, ownership replaces compliance and momentum replaces resistance. Autonomy in adult learning does not mean anything goes. It means adults have voice in what the work looks like from their side of the table.
Here’s an example: Imagine that a district has adopted a required SEL curriculum that every student deserves access to, and leaders are clear that opting out is not a choice. Even so, leaders want the work to matter (and moreover, actually get done), so they ask PD department to plan for teacher choice from the start by offering several strands connected to each key piece of the SEL curriculum: emotional regulation, developing emotional vocabulary, building and maintaining healthy relationships, and conflict resolution.
Instead of capping participation in each strand, PD facilitators assume the numbers in each strand will be uneven and build flexible grouping into their design. That way, teachers can select the entry point that aligns with their students’ needs, and the PD department can adjust the group size based on what teachers are asking for. Over time, everyone will complete all strands, but each teacher begins in a place that reflects their own professional judgment and the needs of their classroom.
This structure keeps the commitment to SEL strong while honoring the knowledge and skill of the educators who bring it to life. By planning for uneven groups, the district protects true autonomy, because choice is only meaningful when it has no ceiling. With clear expectations and authentic flexibility, implementation is deeper, more consistent, and more meaningful for students.
Autonomy Strengthens Learning
Sometimes, it’s tempting to think that uniformity leads to fidelity. However, we can do their best work when we have room to adapt, create, and respond. True fidelity is not about delivering the same slide deck across 87 schools. It is about shared purpose, lived out through each of our strengths.
Conclusion
Professional learning should feel like possibility. It should remind educators of who they are, what they care about, and why their work matters. When PD is emotionally safe, genuinely relevant, and grounded in real autonomy, teachers are not asked to comply with a plan. They are invited into learning that strengthens their craft and affirms their purpose. None of this requires a complete overhaul. It begins with one space where adults can be honest, one clear reason the learning matters today, and one meaningful choice in how to engage.
Teachers deserve learning that treats them as professionals who think, feel, question, create, and care. Students deserve classrooms led by adults who are energized by their learning, not exhausted by it. When we commit to a better way, PD stops being something to endure and becomes something we get to live out loud. The result is better teaching, better relationships, and better experiences for kids, which is the reason we showed up in the first place.
About Dr. Tim Grivois
Dr. Tim Grivois believes professional development should feel like a conversation about something we are building together, not a compliance exercise. After more than twenty-two years as a teacher, school leader, and now the Executive Director of TGS Educational Consulting, Tim helps schools design learning experiences that respect how adults learn and make it easier to live the learning out loud in classrooms the next day.
