Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/635847
Take Advantage of Professional Development Opportunities H I G H - C A L I B E R professional development is essential to improving public education and the teaching profes- sion. CTA offers numerous conferences, trainings and workshops designed to improve the quality of teaching and learning and to enhance your livelihood — every- thing from navigating Common Core State Standards to CBEST preparation. In particular, trainings presented by CTA's Instruc- tional Leadership Corps (in partnership with the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education and the National Board Resource Center at Stanford University) let you learn from the true experts in the field — classroom teachers. CTA's many conferences, such as the Good Teach- ing Conferences (North and South) and the Equity and Human Rights Conference, provide a place for learning, collaboration and networking. You'll get vital information and perspective from some of the best con- tent and pedagogy experts in the country, which you can immediately apply to your work. For more information, see cta.org/en/Professional-Development. Other professional development opportunities for educators are available at various universities and col- leges and are often tailored for busy lives. Dominican University of California, for example, has courses in a variety of subjects that can be taken in several ways: online and self-paced, online and instructor-coached, or in the classroom. Participants receive graduate-level semester units. Other institutions offering self-paced courses are UC San Diego Extension, University of La Verne and Advancement Courses. Many institutions have classroom courses, including various California State University campuses. ANN PARK, Oakland Education Association, teaches writing and science to fih-graders at Greenleaf Elementary School in Oakland Unified School District. "I wouldn't teach anywhere else but at a Title I school because I want to show people that these kids can do well," Park says in a profile in the Contra Costa Times. "They can achieve. They can have high-level discussions. … Kids can definitely handle whatever you give them. You just have to have high expectations for them, so the kids will rise to them." Park takes the extra steps to help children succeed, including home visits and helping parents, particularly immigrants, integrate into the school community. "She has unwavering belief in the potential of all of her students," says OUSD's lead new teacher coach, Nyere da Silva, who nominated Park. "I've just watched her work these miracles." "Teaching is an act of social justice. To be a teacher is to be an agent for change. It is a dynamic profession that promotes lifelong learning, as well as ongoing challenges to analyze student data to drive our instruction and rethink our approaches to pedagogy so that all learners' needs are met." CALIFORNIA Teachers of the Year Teacher of the Year Responsibilities "A California Teacher of the Year serves as an ambassador of the profession. ... He or she conveys, both orally and in writ- ing, in person and through various media, ideas on current issues and challenges that confront the profession. ... The teacher may be asked to explain a specific program, instruc- tional strategy, or activity that he or she has developed; how those efforts benefited students; and how the experiences might help other schools and teachers." — California Dept. of Education 54 cta.org