Banner Schools Professional Development  

Common Preps, also called Faculty Study Groups are time for teachers to collaborate, plan, assess, study, and discuss.  They help teachers acquire and develop knowledge and skills ina collaborative setting.  Common Preps should focus on teaching and learning rather than a time to vent, complain and make excuses.  There is no good time for common preps since the very nature of the teaching profession is laborious.  The lack of time is the very reason why most school reform goes slowly or is not successful.  Teachers are correct when they say, there is no time for anything else.  However, we have to understand that we control professional development and planning  time and they don't control us.   There is time for teaching, time for conversing, time for thinking, time for coffee, time for breaks, and time for talking in the hallway.  Educators always point out that they can rarely control what we do with our time.  We often ask, "how can we spend our time in meaningful planning when on controlled blocks of time are available while at the same time we are expected to make accomplishments in student teaching and learning.  I too, think most educators are stressed far in regards to time. However, I do know that we have to just make the time for common preps and faculty study groups.  

Lack of time has been one of the biggest obstacles for most education reform strategies.  Lack of time is what has caused education reform to move at a slow pace.  At the same time, as educators we must simply make the time to collaborate on teaching and learning strategies which best empower our students.