Got the PD Blues?

Summer vacation is waning, days are numbered, soon your time will no longer be yours and you’ve got the PD blues thinking about those long drawn out workshops you’ll be sitting through when you’d much rather be setting up your room and planning for the new year. Why not plan an unconference with a few of your teaching buds. An unconference is a PD that’s teacher-created, teacher-driven, teacher-requested, teacher-centered with fun people you want to spend time with, in a non-school setting.

Wanna know more, grab a glass of your favorite beverage, take a seat and read on, I’ll tell you all about our #WeTeachSoHard, idyllic #MackinacIsland unconference PD get-a-way and let you know how you go about creating one.

Planning ahead of time is very important, pick a destination, preferably one that’s beautiful with a large room for collaborating. Buuut any place will do as long as you get together, especially if you think that lovely scenery and loads of things to do is too distracting. We stayed at a condo and it was absolutely perfect, plenty of working space with a view. Now what more could one ask for?

*Most importantly, find like minded colleagues that you enjoy spending time with.
*Schedule at least 3 days to work.
*Pick destination & plan a budget that everyone can afford.
*Brainstorm about what you want to learn. (Think professional development)
*Figure out what each of you wants to teach.
*Plan a work schedule.
*Commitment is key. Of course, if you end up on a beautiful island, like we did, you’ll want to play, which is fine, as long as you spend time working. Remember your schedule….. You need to stick to it!

I’d never met any of the ladies in person, so as I sat on the plane, I felt jitters in my stomach, looking forward to hugging everyone. I wasn’t disappointed, it was like I had known Kathie, Retta and Tracy all my life. So many similarities, esp. loving ice cream, which of course we had everyday, good food and the best fudge ever. There were horse drawn carriages, no cars on here, so everything ran on island time, sloooowly, but that’s the way it’s supposed to be, we were on vacation, after all! Beautiful sunsets, phenomenal views, great shopping, hiking, bike riding, horseback riding and friendly people all around us. But best of all, great friendships to last a lifetime and yes, we did get our work done! Hence our next two podcasts and ideas through the rest of the year.