NAME: GARCIA, RIANNE STEFANY S.

COURSE & SECTION: BSE-ENG3

A professional educator is always learning and growing their craft. They are on an endless
journey where they are always looking for new ideas or teaching strategies, ways to improve
their skills, or new information that will help their students to succeed. It takes a lot of hard
work and effort to be a professional educator. It takes time to go to conferences and serve on
committees, or to decide on continuing education path, if necessary. It requires effort to go that
extra mile for the students who need it, and it takes patience to continually grow and truly
understand your craft as a teacher. The rewards of being an educator go to the professionals
who are willing to go that extra mile or use their spare time to help others. Here are a
few professional development tips to help you continue to grow and become that professional
educator that you deserve to be. No matter how solid a teacher might be in pedagody, they
can always become better. Multiple professional development opportunities exist to enhance
lesson planning, building assessments, refining instruction, and giving students the chance to
better understand content in the most depth is of utmost importance. Education can be seen as
a living, breathing entity, something that grows over time and changes as generations of
students pass through the halls of our schools.

As educators, we must continue to hone our skills to keep up with the changing demands of
teaching and the change in learning styles our students will exhibit. The importance of
education to teachers runs deep on a personal level. Oftentimes, teachers get so comfortable in
their daily lives that they forget to take risks. A risk may be trying that teaching strategy that
you have always wanted to try or implementing that piece of educational technology that you
have heard so much about. Before you try something new in your classroom, make sure that
you do your research about it. This will help you take that risk. Try observing other teachers
who may have already implemented that strategy or piece of technology. An effective teacher
isn’t afraid to talk to other educators and learn from them. They are willing to continue to
learn their craft and take risks. They take the time to promote student growth as well as
improve their own performance. They are always learning and always growing. If teachers
want to formally improve their classroom skills, there are still multiple options. The traditional
ways are through university or college classes, which will provide credits toward another
degree or certification. Educators can select those based upon their individual certification or
reach for an area outside of their comfort zones. These opportunities range from online courses
to in-person programs.
Advancing your career through higher education is a great way to continue your personal
journey of growth. We often get so caught up in the routine of school, that we rarely have time
to expand our minds and think of new perspectives or gain insight into the latest educational
research. We get up, go to work, come home, continue to work, and go to bed. Sound familiar?
The great thing about graduate school is that you have so many pathways and options. The
other significant advantage is that taking classes requires you to unplug from your regular
routine to study new or unfamiliar material. Continuing education courses will provide
different degrees, endorsements, and certifications teachers need to advance in their careers
and open up many opportunities for educators. You may think to yourself, “I will never leave
the classroom, so I have no need to go back to school.” I thought the same thing at one point
early on in my career. You never know when someone may tap you on the shoulder for a
leadership position. Even if you have no desire to ever leave the classroom (which is perfectly
acceptable), many districts will give you higher pay if you have a certain number of graduate
hours.