TL;DR:

• Summer is a great time for professional development.
• There are so many different ways to continue learning.
• Find what works best for you.

Every summer gives you the opportunity to rest, relax, and recharge. However, you may be like me and use several weeks of your summer for professional learning opportunities. This blog post will give you some ideas of where to look for these opportunities. 

Wherever the summer may lead you, and however you want to spend it, keeping learning relevant is always a great way to grow professionally. Click To Tweet

Start a New Degree Program 

For some, you may use the summer to get a head start on a master’s or doctorate program. You can earn credits for up to one semester during an 8–10-week period. You may also want to attend a summer institute. I attended one in Taos, New Mexico for German teachers back in 2009. It was 2 weeks long and worth 9 credits. You may be part of a professional organization that hosts summer sessions such as live webinars or virtual “coffee chats.”

Rack Up Credits Toward Salary Increment

Back before I’d completed my post-master’s certificate and EdD in educational leadership, I was eager to gain credits during the summer towards a salary increment. I would attend 3-day sessions hosted by a local college professor on reading, creative writing, and journaling with your students. I was able to complete these for 3 credits. You can look at your district’s PD site and find summer opportunities. My district hosted an equity summer. Maybe your district’s summer institute will be right before the teacher workdays at the start of next school year.

Learn as You Go With Podcasts, Professional Reading, Book Clubs 

If you’re planning on traveling for many summer weeks, you can still learn as you go. Tune in to any of the 38+ podcasts currently on the Teach Better Podcast Network, get caught up on your professional reading with books you may have purchased months ago, and see if any of your PLN members may be hosting a Twitter chat around a book or topic. You may also include attendance at a conference with your summer travels. Luckily, the in-person PD I’m attending this summer are both in Denver, but I love to wrap travel into some professional learning.  

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You Drive the Ship

Wherever the summer may lead you, and however you want to spend it, it’s always beneficial to keep learning relevant and continue growing professionally. You are in charge of how little or how much time you want to devote to PD in the summer. Choose what works for you, and enjoy the weeks of learning or traveling! 

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About Dana Goodier

Dr. Dana Goodier has 23 years of experience in education. She has taught World Languages and English and worked as a middle school administrator. She completed her doctorate degree (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership early 2020. For her dissertation, she researched reasons parents were opting their students out of high-stakes testing at middle schools and how that affected the district accreditation rating.

She often speaks at conferences, providing educators with techniques to minimize off-task behavior and to increase time on task. Goodier is the host of the “Out of the Trenches” podcast, which features educators who share their stories of resiliency. She is also the author of the book, “Out of the Trenches: Stories of Resilient Educators.”

Follow her on Twitter @danagoodier and visit her website at: www.danagoodier.com