Collaborating, planning, and discussing are on Friday’s agenda for the staff development day that gives students a four day weekend ending with school closed for Columbus Day on Monday.

“Staff Development Day is an opportunity for teachers and staff to regroup by revisiting different teaching and behavioral management strategies,” dance teacher Marina Gonzalez said. “Maybe we’ll talk about new plans that are coming to the campus that we need to be on board to implement.”

Staff development days during the year provide teachers the chance to calculate the most effective teaching practices.

“[Days off are] good to have sometimes, as teachers do not have students,” AP Human Geography teacher Tim Johannes said. “We can plan and prepare and make the experience of coming to school even better.”

All staff members participate, with teachers from the same department collaborating and considering activities that help students understand the concepts better.  

“My role would probably would be to collaborate and innovate with other teachers, sharing our experiences in the classroom,” Johannes said. “So, we’ll go over the best practices in geography teachers and we’ll discuss how we can become better teachers.”

For some students, the concept of a staff development day is unfamiliar.

“When teachers make their lesson plans, they may feel more prepared and get feedback from each other,” sophomore Astrid Easton said. “It would be nice if we knew more about it because all we really know is that it exists.”

Some teachers believe that staff development day should be appreciated by students as they help provide a different perspective on how to improve class lessons and structure.

“I think it would be beneficial for them to know or totally just be aware,”  Gonzalez said. “Their teachers take their time out of their schedules to be up to date on policies on our campus and be aware of new ideas.”  

With no students on campus, teachers can focus on developing new ways to better the student learning experience throughout the year.

“Now, I know kids enjoy not coming to school on certain days, but sometimes teachers enjoy being at school without students too,” Johannes said. “So it goes both ways.”

Students also see the benefits of a long weekend as they have extra time to themselves for extracurricular activities and free time.

“For my four day weekend, I will go to my ballet classes and then will be able to hang out with my mom,” freshmen Virginia Portera said. “On Columbus Day, hopefully, I’ll be able to go somewhere fun with my siblings.