How To: Professional Development for Skeptics
Written by: Jane Feinsod, MSA Project Coordinator (posted Mon, May 19th, 2025 | 9:05 am)
If you’re a classroom teacher, you might not look forward to professional development days– and I can’t blame you. But I can try to convince you that PD can be more than just a necessary fact of life—it can be powerful, effective, and good for you and your students.
It’s not a secret that many educators dislike PD. Even a cursory Google search for “PD for teachers” gets you to forums and blogs calling the whole thing a waste of time and resources. In my time as a classroom teacher, I dreaded mandatory PD days for fear I might lose precious time to work on problems that mattered to me and my students. Every once in a while, a useful, interactive PD experience would provide me with glimpses of a better way.
I want to argue for a different kind of PD, one that isn’t meant to help your organization check a box and “teach” you things you already know. Like so many in the field, I want PD that works.
What I mean in this: You know the basics already, and then some. PD should acknowledge this. PD should be respectful of your time and knowledge.
For all the PD skeptics, here’s the worst of PD—the most common complaints—and some solutions.
Your time is not your own. But it can be! We all have responsibilities as professionals, but being told when and where you do PD can be frustrating on an already all too limited schedule. School leaders certainly need to take advantage of opportunities to build shared understanding, but at least some PD options should let you think and grow on your own terms—and maybe even in your own house. To put it simply: PD should include on-demand choices.
One size does not fit all. So let’s focus on customizability instead. I remember one PD session that turned into a lecture about basic math concepts. Maybe not everybody in my small group knew what a Venn diagram was, but some of us were actual statisticians, some of us had PhDs in economics, and others of us just knew what a Venn diagram was. PD should consider what classroom teachers want—and need—to learn. Rather than going over the basics time and time again, good PD should consider the things affecting our work, our world, and our students.
Forced community. So make it intentional. We all want to be part of something, but I’ve heard you loud and clear—no more “ice breakers.” What if PD encouraged natural conversation about the topic at hand? What if the community fostered during this time was focused on honing your craft and asking interesting, thoughtful, and timely questions?
No snacks. Ok, I can’t help with this one. Sorry.
Not relevant. But I’ve got some questions. The one-size-fits-all approach to PD is too common. Meanwhile, we’re in an unprecedented moment. The world is changing fast and sometimes—maybe too often—unpredictably, and all you want is to change for the better. PD that asks relevant questions about the world of education in 2025 and beyond should be more than a wish. It should be expected.
I didn’t start out intending to write this as an advertisement for MSA’s Evolution Academy, but I suppose it became one—and that’s not surprising. Many of us at MSA are former educators and school leaders, so we’ve seen a lot of professional development from many different angles. We developed the Evolution Academy with our first hand experience. We’ve been there, and we want better, too.
If you’re a PD skeptic, you probably understand why PD is implemented. You just want to make it better so you can be better—so that your students can be better.
PD only works well when the recipients are heard, loud and clear. So MSA listened. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The intention with the Evolution Academy was to pave back up to Earth.
PD only works well when the recipients are heard, loud and clear. So MSA listened. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The intention with the Evolution Academy was to pave back up to Earth.
