One of the best aspects of working in education is the culture of lifelong learning that schools embrace. As professionals, we’re encouraged — even expected — to expand our knowledge, refine our skills, and connect with industry colleagues through conferences, webinars, and meetings at least once or twice a year.
Do you ever feel like you’re not seizing those opportunities as often as you should?
- Have you ever signed up for a webinar and then decided at the last minute that you can’t spare the time?
- In May or June, do you look back on the year and realize that you barely scratched the surface of the PD goals you’d set in September?
If you answered yes, you’re not alone.
Here are some common excuses — I mean explanations — we hear from private-independent school personnel about why they don’t/can’t take time for learning events. Let’s see if we can’t reframe those sentiments and embrace the chance for professional advancement and enrichment.
“I don’t have time!”
For better or worse, there’s never a dull moment at most independent schools. School leaders often wear two and three professional hats, working well beyond a traditional 8–4 schedule. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by what’s on your plate and attend to immediate priorities rather than long-term learning.
Think small. You don’t have to travel across the country or dedicate whole days to expand your knowledge. Carving out an hour for a webinar to explore new topics or hear from industry experts can actually save time in the long run. By learning new strategies and tools, you might just streamline your processes and increase your efficiency.
“How much can I actually learn from a webinar?”
Speaking of webinars: This format has come a long way. The silver lining behind pandemic school life is that meeting platforms and presentation tools became incredibly sophisticated, creating opportunities for small group discussions, information sharing, and other ways to learn from fellow school professionals and experts in the field.
The best webinars provide both quality and convenience. Not only can you attend from the comfort of your office, you’ll save the time it might take to travel to another meeting or workshop.
“My school is different. The usual solutions won’t work for us.”
Sometimes what keeps us from signing up for a webinar or workshop is the feeling that no matter what you take away, it will be hard to implement at your school. Other schools are bigger (or smaller), have larger budgets, more staff, or a different school culture. You anticipate that some on your team might resist new ideas because “That wouldn’t work at our school.”
Every school is unique, but many challenges are universal. Connecting with others in your industry can introduce you to strategies and solutions you may not have considered. Other attendees are often eager to help you adapt best-practice solutions to your particular context.
“It’s not in the budget.”
Yes, the cost of PD can seem prohibitive. But while some professional development opportunities come with a cost, many are free or low-cost. You can also offer to share what you’ve learned with other faculty and staff when you return.
Think investment instead of cost. Nurturing your professional expertise will lead to improved outcomes for your school. These successes can save money and resources — or increase revenue.
“I’ve been in this job so long; what more can I learn?”
Even the most experienced leaders benefit from fresh perspectives and new ideas. Continuous learning helps you stay current with the latest trends and best practices, ensuring you remain an effective leader.
Find a mentor; be a mentor. If you have a few years under your belt, you’ll add value to other attendees’ experience. If you’ve benefited from the guidance of mentors in the past, maybe you’ll be able to offer advice and support to someone else.
“I’m so new to this field; it’ll be over my head.”
When you’re new to a role, what you don’t know can sometimes drown out all you do know. You might worry that the content of a webinar or session will be over your head and it will feel like a waste of your time.
Live to learn. The best professional development is designed to support educators at all experience levels. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or a newcomer, there's always something valuable to learn that can enhance your skills and confidence. Chances are that you won’t be the only one with questions or knowledge gaps. Skilled presenters can point you toward resources to help you maximize all that you're learning.
“I’m not buying what they’re selling.”
We know what you’re thinking: Is a webinar ever really free? This dynamic can be a frustrating side effect of signing up for a learning event. While some professional development opportunities have a commercial aspect, many are led by school professionals who have been in your shoes and have knowledge to share.
While presenters may be promoting a product or service, that doesn’t mean they’re not genuinely focused on providing valuable content and support.
Take only what you need. It's important to evaluate each opportunity on its own merits and choose the ones that align with your goals and needs. You’re not obliged to buy anything, or even to entertain a sales pitch. Consider, though, that events like these plant seeds for future growth. Even if you’re not in the market for a certain offering right now, you might learn about ideas and resources you can utilize down the road.
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If you’re still reading this, it means you took some time out of your schedule to explore a subject relevant to your professional growth. In that spirit, consider what deeper topics you’re curious about or what skills you’d like to learn. Connect with professional organizations that offer learning events, and find out from colleagues what PD experiences have been meaningful to them.
It was Albert Einstein who said, “Your most valuable asset is your mind and what you put into it.” He might have been on to something there.
