Summer Work

I was recently asked by someone, “Do you work in the summer?”  The answer is a resounding “Yes!”  As a matter of fact the most hectic time of year for school and district administrators occurs between the start of the PSSA tests (in mid March) and the start of the school year.  June, July and August are very busy as administrators are busy providing (and organizing) training for staff, finishing year end reports for the State, putting final touches on plans for the upcoming school year and getting the schools ready for the upcoming school year. So, the summer months are a very busy time for those of us involved in school leadership and this summer is proving to be no exception.  The past two weeks the school district has been very busy with various trainings for the teachers.  This summer the school district has instituted the Penn-Trafford Summer Academy for Teachers.  This is a chance for the school district to offer training to teachers in the most cost effective manner.    So far this summer the school district has conducted the following training sessions.

1.     Curriculum alignment and LTRS training for elementary and middle school teachers.  Approximately 60 teachers participated in reviewing their curriculum and comparing the expected outcomes in one grade level to the expected start point in the following grade level.  There was also LTRS training which is a reading strategy that teachers can add to their teaching “toolbox”.  This training occurred over three days last week.

2.     Penn-Trafford Virtual Academy.  The core group (about 17 teachers) involved in placing their classroom instruction in a virtual format to enhance their instruction in their classrooms was trained over three days last week. I will be excited to see these teachers incorporating virtual learning into their classrooms in the upcoming school year.

3.     Penn-Literacy Training.   This training is occurring over three days this week.  This is a reading and writing training that was developed at the University of Pennsylvania.  This is another tool that teachers can place in their “toolbox” to assist their instruction and help students learn.  There are approximately 25 teachers participating in this training.

For every day that teachers participate in summer training at the Summer Academy (for up to three days) they will not have to participate in an Act 80 day in the school year (Act 80 days are days set aside throughout the school year for professional development.  Students do not go to school on those days). This saves the district the cost of a substitute teacher that the district would have to pay for if the training was done in the school year. 

It has been a great start to the summer!  Spending time talking with teachers about their classroom practices and listening to their suggestions fills my soul.  Teachers are the conduit through which the school district can change the lives of our youth.  My passion is to assure that Penn-Trafford provides the best instruction and educational opportunities for our students.  The Summer Academy is one way to help make this passion a reality.