Thursday is the new Friday, at least for this week, as Friday is a staff development day in Frisco ISD, giving students a four day weekend with Monday a district holiday. 

“A lot of us will be meeting with our different teams, I’m on the AP Human Geography team and the world history team, so we have time to meet together, get planned, we can look at data,” social studies teacher Jenifer Nelken said. “We look at strategies that are working in class, and see what is not working, and come together. We’re just trying to prepare and become better teachers.”

The day is different for each teacher, but for Nelken, it’s a day for catching up on school work and all of the little things that haven’t gotten done over the course of a regular school day. 

“For me it’s just a chance to get work done, that during the work day we haven’t got done,” Nelken said. “We have time during the regular day, but the conference period is not always enough sometimes. We might be grading, planning or reading, and that takes up all you time and you’re just rushing around, so it gives us time to get stuff done.” 

Assistant principal Jason Harris is glad that the day can provide these opportunities for teachers and their peers to better themselves in the classroom. 

“It’s a time for teachers to collaborate and develop with their other staff members and create lesson plans and create instruction strategies,” Harris said. “They can talk about how to work in the classroom with the students and they really just get an opportunity to prepare for the next few weeks and find the best things to help students.” 

English teacher Vanessa Melvin is glad students get a mini fall break, but wishes teachers had a four day weekend as well. 

“I can say my students have been working very very hard so they definitely deserve an extra few days,” Melvin said. “It’s a bummer that teachers don’t get that day as well but it is what is is. That’s what it’s like to be an adult so we get to come into work.”