Home > Professional Development: "Wildly Important" at Catalina Foothills Church Schools
Professional Development: "Wildly Important" at Catalina Foothills Church Schools
The idea that the enemy of the great is the good rattles my thinking. I was sitting in one of my graduate classes where we were examining the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. The goal at hand was: how to connect the data of this business book to education. At that moment, I immediately began thinking that without a true, systematic professional development program we would fall into the category of a “good school” indefinitely. The fire was kindled within me to continue to push for something more than a band-aid approach to growing teachers and to truly enter into the great conversation with them. Since 2009, many things have changed in the area of Professional Development at Catalina Foothills Church Schools. The Board and leadership within our school system have chosen to invest and support the idea of developing and growing teachers. We have embraced the Biblical idea that, as image bearers, we ALL continue to learn, grow, and develop as teachers, administrators, support staff, Board members, parents, and community. The learning among staff members is essential as a school moves from good to great. This learning takes place as teachers gather to share ideas, work collaboratively, and implement new strategies in the classroom that are congruent to the mission of the school.
Unfortunately, most schools (especially private schools) fail to implement true professional development. The reasons for this may be financial, poor leadership and vision, or a negative school culture where the mindset is “I am just doing my job.” Within the Catalina Foothills Church Schools system, teaching is a high calling and a ministry that hinges on one’s Christian maturity, a heart for students, and the intellectual passion to keep learning and growing. It is with great excitement and humility that we have established a foundation to come alongside our teachers to mentor them, provide challenging workshops, and, together, enter into the great conversation of effective Classical Christian education.
In the last two years, God has richly blessed our desire to develop a cutting edge professional development program. The following are a few highlights that have been implemented:
· Professional Development Workshops: We have offered over 12 workshops from which teachers choose to participate. To date, we have had over 150 participants involved in the workshops led by our own master teachers. Course offerings have included: Effective Teaching Strategies, Socratic Methods, The Harkness Table, Reading Strategies, The Homework Myth, Integrated Thematic Units, Cognitive Coaching, Assessments, New Teacher Induction, Biblical Integration, and more.
· Mentoring: Over 20 of our teachers have been trained to go into classrooms to mentor all teachers. Currently, department heads observe those in their department four times a year, new teachers are mentored by experienced teachers four times a year, the staff development director observes new teachers at least four times a year, a follow up observation occurs after each workshop, and the administration observes teachers both formatively and summatively at least twice a year. As one teacher mentioned recently, “At my old school, I was never observed and mentored. Here, people really care about my growth as a professional. I love it!”
· Culture of Excellence: The past two years have seen have seen tremendous movement in developing a culture of success and excellence. Success is measured in both quantitative and qualitative methods. The story generation of teachers with each other has been one clear measure of success. They feel appreciated, valued, and respected by this program. This program is a tangible way of investing in our teachers. Students work is another measure of the success of teachers growing in their field of expertise. Their writing, expression of oral discourse, and test results have been a measure of the success of the workshops and observations. Workshop participants fill out an evaluation form at the end of each workshop.
It is with deep appreciation that we thank those who have partnered with us in our desire to create and implement a cohesive culture of professional development. The Bruce T. Halle Family Foundation has funded much of what has occurred these past few years in teacher development. Dr. Tom Collins, Benita Brown and the Amphitheatre School District have been instrumental in releasing Title IIA funds in our goals to establish a solid foundation of professional development that is congruent to our mission statement. Finally, we owe a debt of gratitude to our Board and community for their vision and patience as we move ever so much closer to a school that is truly great.
David Towne, Head of Professional Development
