Joining ISM a few years ago, I was immediately tossed into learning our theory. As any great organization will do, ISM wanted me to completely understand its mission and theory, and sample firsthand the concerns and mindset of its audience.
Off to Summer Institute I went. Meaningful Faculty Development, a workshop that has since been reconstructed, was my destination. I remember the first few moments of the workshop. I remember being inspired. I remember being overwhelmed. And, I remember feeling out of place and slightly intimidated. I was tossed in with brilliant educators coming from a "Mad Men" world of gimmicks and food advertisements. I knew very little about private-independent education. I knew even less about school culture, administrator routines, and unique missions. But, my job that week was to take in as much as I could while representing ISM—I was there to learn.
Learn is exactly what I did. Not just about the workshop material, but about education, ISM, the power of networking, and private school culture. I was humbled. But, the biggest reward from the experience was that it motivated me, charged me, to come back to the office with my newfound perspective and try to create messages and materials that would resonate, impact, and motivate administrators in the private-independent education sector.
I wish I could write that all my ideas from that point on were brilliant. They weren’t. But, they were on the right track. I was far more confident after that experience than I was walking into it. I was still the new girl on the team, and I was trying to be heard through a sea of well-seasoned experts who were quick to remind me that some of my ideas had been tried and failed. Whereas before I might have grown silent and tried to slip under the table, after my crash course at Summer Institute, I had a new confidence. I was hired to be part of the team. Part of the team I was going to be! I was determined. I was motivated.
Since that first experience, over the years I have become entrenched in private-independent school theory, practice, and culture. As any passionate employee for ISM, I have come to live and breathe education. Just as I once lived and breathed hummus and chips, I have learned to put myself into the shoes of a private school administrator.
ISM values professional development. I have had the pleasure of attending several educator events over my years here. The people I have met are simply amazing. When people have the opportunity to gather for their true passion in life, it’s an amazing experience. I love to find those few in the room who are new to education. I can’t always tell who they are; often they have that same deer-in-the-headlights expression I had during my first Summer Institute workshop. They're terrified, yet inspired.
That’s the power of professional development. Educators young and old come together for a common goal—to learn, grow, and develop—and in the process inspire one another.
Additional ISM articles of interest
ISM Monthly Update for School Heads Vol. 11 No. 4 Team Professional Development Adds Value to Lessons Learned
Additional ISM articles of interest for Gold Consortium members
I&P Vol. 34 No. 13 New Research: The Relationship Between Faculty Professional Development and Student Performance
ISM Research area Effective Teacher Professional Development: What the Literature Says
I&P Vol. 32 No. 8 The Changing Paradigm for Professional Development
I&P Vol. 36 No. 3 ISM Success Predictor No. 17: Budgeting for Professional Development
