About Those PED Days
- By Tracy Hill
would like to take this opportunity to explain in detail the purpose of our “Pedagogical Days”.
While making daycare/play date/babysitting/sports activity arrangements for your child’s upcoming PED day, you may grumble and protest; “What are they doing, planning for the next planning day?”
It’s understandable that in today’s two-income families where both parents are juggling work and child-rearing, that finding suitable accommodations for your wayward tykes on PED days can be trying at best. And what about parents who don’t know what to do with the tweeners? Too old for daycare, too young to stay at home alone? Your teenagers may insist upon spending the day at the mall, agonizing over whether to spend their twenty dollars on a neon tee-shirt or three pairs of striped leggings. Not to mention lunch which is a Slushie and a handful of M & M’s. A total waste of time in your mind, and as you read this your unenthusiastic opinion of professional days becomes even more cemented in pessimism.
But, please keep a few facts in mind; the school is busy making plans for your child’s intellectual growth, future professional options, self-esteem, entertainment, social development, physical health and spiritual guidance. Somehow we manage to achieve this in about 10 days.
You may ask yourself what goes on at school whilst your child is at home squandering away precious hours in front of a video-game console. Well, in two words; a lot.
Teachers are sent to workshops and seminars. They work tirelessly within their own educational departments in an effort to maintain a common direction. Two days are dedicated to full student evaluations that are attended by teachers and guidance counsellors. These evaluation sessions are led by the administration and student concerns whether academic, social or emotional are addressed by all.
Some PED days are reserved for first aid/CPR courses or workshops on how to identify depression or bullying at school.
Younger teachers are mentored by more seasoned professionals and teams, trips or special events are coordinated with other schools or organizations.
Sessions on differentiated instruction, teaching special needs students, tolerance and cross-curricular competency workshops are always on the roster. Quebec teachers are required to be on board with the Educational Reform, as they also must be abreast of the requirements of accreditation, certification and standardization boards and institutes. Flu shot clinics are set up to immunize staff and reduce teacher absenteeism.
But in conclusion, I must share with you the most important aspect of a PED day that is not scheduled or contrived by administration; bonding.
the school is busy making plans for your child’s intellectual growth, future professional options, self-esteem, entertainment, social development, physical health and spiritual guidance.
Getting together with like-minded people in a collaborative atmosphere is profoundly comforting and encouraging to a group of professionals who sometimes feel so overwhelmed with the demands of the job. Sharing stories, advice, frustrations and fears can be therapeutic and reassuring. There’s nothing like recounting a particularly stressful day to a round table of teachers who shake their heads in empathy and offer a hand or a shoulder to cry on. It’s also wonderful to see a teacher burst into the staff room with tears welling in her eyes, declaring proudly; “He finally did it...Kevin came up from a D- to a B+ !”
That’s what PED days are for. They are designed to make your child succeed.
