Professional development (PD) is supposed to sharpen skills, inspire innovation, and give teachers the tools they need to meet changing classroom realities. Done right, it can be energizing—a chance to step out of the daily grind and into meaningful reflection and growth.
The Reality Check
Too often, PD feels like a paper chase: a mandatory box-ticking exercise to collect hours, certificates, or credentials rather than truly transformative learning. Teachers end up sitting in workshops that don’t connect to their students, their context, or their career path.
Common Pain Points
Quantity over quality: More hours logged doesn’t always equal better teaching.
One-size-fits-all sessions: Generic PD often misses the mark for specific classroom challenges.
Credential creep: More degrees and certifications are increasingly required, but do they always translate into improved practice?
Time and cost: Teachers often spend evenings, weekends, and their own money on PD that may not deliver real value.
Rethinking PD
What if PD was teacher-led and classroom-connected, rather than centrally mandated?
Should impact on students be the main measure of effective PD?
How do we build systems where learning is ongoing, collaborative, and embedded in the workday—rather than an extra burden?
At the Core
Professional development should feel like an investment in teachers, not an obstacle course they must survive. When PD becomes more about paperwork than practice, it risks alienating the very people it’s meant to empower.
PD or Paper Chase?
The Promise of Professional Development
Professional development (PD) is supposed to sharpen skills, inspire innovation, and give teachers the tools they need to meet changing classroom realities. Done right, it can be energizing—a chance to step out of the daily grind and into meaningful reflection and growth.
The Reality Check
Too often, PD feels like a paper chase: a mandatory box-ticking exercise to collect hours, certificates, or credentials rather than truly transformative learning. Teachers end up sitting in workshops that don’t connect to their students, their context, or their career path.
Common Pain Points
Rethinking PD
At the Core
Professional development should feel like an investment in teachers, not an obstacle course they must survive. When PD becomes more about paperwork than practice, it risks alienating the very people it’s meant to empower.