The Bulletin, Vol. 40, No. 1 September/October 1996 from the NL ...

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOR TEACHERS OF ATLANTIC CANADALET'S TALK ABOUT TEACHINGby Beverley ParkIn an opening statement in a discussion paper, dated March 1992, a Provincial Professional DevelopmentAdvisory Committee stated: "Continuing Professional Development is the hallmark of any profession.Teaching is no exception".It is now conventional wisdom to link education with economic and social betterment. The education of ouryouth is widely regarded as the key to economic prosperity and education is seen as the potential cure forvirtually all of our social, environmental and health problems.It was as a result of the ever increasing societal demands on the teaching profession, and as teachers underpressures sought solutions to enhance the profession that the Atlantic Provinces Teacher Organizations,among them the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association, realized that more assistance had to beprovided to teachers on a continuing basis to achieve the aims of educational reform. There is a greaterrealization than ever before that the process of becoming a teacher is a lifelong pursuit and organizationssuch as teacher affiliates must have in place professional growth programs to enhance and support the workof the professional teacher throughout his or her career.In 1993 the Professional Development Officers of the four Atlantic Provinces pursued a joint venture for theprofessional growth of the teachers in Atlantic Canada. This resulted in a program entitled "Let's Talk aboutTeaching". This program, a series of three components, seeks to support the teacher throughout the variousstages of his or her career. It recognizes that just as the life cycle of the individual presents differentchallenges, changes and responsibilities, and places additional demands on him or her, likewise the teachingcycle presents different challenges.The first program, entitled "Invitation to the Conversation", is an induction program for beginning teachers.It recognizes that the beginning teachers of today are the educational leaders of the future. It takes intoaccount the critical nature of the first three to five years of entry into the profession: 30 percent of teachersleave the profession during the first two years; as many as 50 percent leave after five years. This programseeks to provide a supportive transition from teacher preparation to practise and hopes to ensure early andcontinuous professional support from the education community to the beginning teacher.The second program, directed at teachers in mid-career, is called "The Joy of Teaching". It is welldocumented that opportunities for personal growth contribute significantly to the joy of teaching, andmaintaining a positive professional outlook is particularly important at mid-career. This program identifies10 major issues and challenges facing teachers at this stage of their professional lives and presents astrategy for facing these challenges.Finally, a program named "Planning Transitions" helps the late career teacher plan for his or her transitionfrom the classroom. During the past 20 to 25 years, late career teachers have experienced change at apreviously unprecedented rate. They have unique personal and professional development needs which areoften overlooked, with the result that many feel uncertain, unrecognized, unappreciated and unfulfilled. Thisprogram is designed to give these teachers an opportunity to examine life changes as they relate to careerchallenges and to examine strategies to take charge of their lives, both personal and professional.In a report called The Effective School Report, published October 1995, Thomas B. Corcoran stated "Ifteachers are to be adequately prepared to work effectively in the classrooms and schools envisioned by