Great Beginnings

I’m a big lover of professional development, and last week I attended a three-day workshop called Great Beginnings. It is hosted by the York Region District School Board, and guess what? It’s free! You sign up for the grade you are teaching in the upcoming year, and a veteran teacher of that grade leads you through days of helpful hints while providing connections to professional resources.

     The workshop places a heavy focus on the literacy block; the modeled, shared, guided, and independent reading and writing tasks that take place every day. Our instructor, Bev was so wonderful and shared her 30 plus years of experience with us. Often times, teachers who have been in the profession as long as she has been tend to be out of date in their practice, but Bev was very knowledgeable about what the present day classroom should look like. She linked us to online resources, recommended tried, tested, and true books that help to implement good literacy practice, and made sure that we got the very most out of our days at Great Beginnings.

    On the last day of the workshop, a number of publishers and teaching supply businesses came and set up booths in the hallways to sell their items. I was surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of beautiful books, and I felt like I was in heaven. There were some books that I had stumbled across before, so I made sure I spent my money on the books that I had never heard of; the books that caught my eye and set the ideas running wild in my head. A few hundred dollars later, I had added to my classroom library with some great new picture books.

    I found that when buying these books, it was helpful to have my long range plans finished so that I knew what sort of texts to keep an eye out for. There were so many books that caught my attention, but I had to say no to some because I knew they didn’t really fit in with any of the big ideas and themes I have planned for this year. That’s not to say I wouldn’t ever buy them in the future, but for that day, my money was better spent on books that I really need for this school year.

    Some people moan and groan when they think of professional development. Sure, some workshops and courses can be super boring. I’m lucky to have enjoyed almost all of the PD I have done so far and I think that’s why I kept taking AQ courses. Even when they were getting exhausting and I couldn’t wait to finish, I still really enjoyed everything I got out of it.

    I enjoyed teacher’s college but I found it actually did little to prepare me for what a real classroom is like. The real learning comes from doing; from being in the classroom and being an active educator and learner. Great Beginnings blew teacher’s college out of the water due to its grade-specific focus. As I keep getting further into my teaching career, my PD becomes more exclusive which helps me create a better classroom environment for my variety of learners. So if you too are a teacher in the York Region District School Board and you’d like to attend Great Beginnings (you don’t even have to be new to the grade), keep your eye on the BWW in July to look for the registration dates. It will definitely be worth your time.