On Nov. 1, the day after Halloween, students at Aliso Niguel High School enjoy the day off. However, for teachers, they are required to come to school on this day for a professional development meeting.
The professional development day is used to educate teachers about new ways of teaching or how to navigate certain things such as new technology.
Ms. Terhardt explains, “Teachers do come because they have to go to a meeting that basically teaches them how to become better teachers, new lessons on teaching or how to navigate new technologies. Some teachers from other schools in the district also come as well.”
The collaboration of teachers throughout the Capistrano Unified School District allows for collaboration between teachers across the board and allows them to learn new strategies to implement and enhance their teaching skills that can also be used in the classroom.
However, not all teachers agree with having to go to professional development meetings and would much rather have the day off. Late-night activities from the previous day or Halloween often leave not only students, but also teachers tired, which can make focusing on professional development less effective.
Dr. Belanto says, “Technically, we teachers have a professional development day, but yes, we should have a day off like students.”
Granting teachers a day off would allow for the rest and recovery of teachers who spend many days and hours at school. The teachers may benefit from a mental break after the holiday, especially given the long hours and energy they pour into their work during the school hours and year.
The reason for not giving students school on Nov. 1 is that students would rather not show up if there is school the day after Halloween. People enjoy doing late-night activities on Halloween and would probably not have the energy to deal with another day of learning at school; but, the same applies to teachers, who also like to spend their Halloween staying up late. Nevertheless, teachers are still required to attend the meeting.
Still, professional development is necessary to help improve teaching practices and keep up with new educational tools that could also benefit students. Even if some teachers find the meeting to be unenjoyable, professional development is necessary to help teachers become better educators and stay up-to-date with practices in other schools in the district.
