Making teacher training revelant

By Marla Wolkowitz

Currently, schools may take up to about 7 days for teacher training through the School Improvement Program. Parents, and some teachers question what takes place on these pupil free days and how is what is learned actually showing up in the classroom.

• Parents ask, "Where are the results?" "I don't notice anything different" And similar statements which lead me to believe some of this time is not benefitting our children.

• If students have days off for teacher training, parents want to see changes and results. We want a letter home describing how the time was spent and how this new knowledge will be implemented in the classroom.

Teachers need to have a lot of say as to what their needs are to be more effective. Does the elementary school teacher, who's test scores indicate that their students are performing at the 70th% really need to take a 1/2 day class on techniques? Or, does the teacher who's class scores in the 25th% benefit by this time?

Wouldn't pupil free days be better spent zeroing in on how to more effectively teach out of the textbook that has been adopted and already in the hands of students?

Shouldn't teachers who already do a superior job, based on the principals' recommendation or their mentors recommendation be allowed to attend seminars of choice off campus instead of sitting through a course they know they don't need?

And, shouldn't parents and students be apprised of the outcome of the pupil free days and how they impact our children?