PEN Mondays - Why Your School’s PD Days Probably Suck

In partnership with

5 min read

Let’s be honest: for a lot of teachers, hearing “professional development day” inspires about as much excitement as getting a root canal. It’s not that educators don’t want to grow — we absolutely do. But too often, PD days end up feeling like a bureaucratic box to check, not a genuine opportunity to get better at what we do best.

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The same script plays out year after year: a generic speaker who hasn’t seen a real classroom since flip phones were a thing, endless PowerPoints filled with bullet points that could put a caffeinated cheetah to sleep, and topics that don’t even remotely connect to what teachers actually need. It’s no wonder teachers groan when they see “PD Day” on the calendar. It’s wasted time, and in a profession where every minute matters, that stings.

Professional Development Actually Matters — a Lot

When it’s done right, professional development has the power to transform a school. It equips teachers with fresh tools and strategies, reinforces a sense of shared mission and energy, and directly impacts student achievement and classroom culture. PD isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s a core ingredient of school success.

When PD is treated like an afterthought, it sends a loud (if unintended) message: "Your growth isn’t important. Just sit through this." But when PD is designed with care and purpose, it tells teachers, "We believe in you. We’re investing in your success." That difference in attitude matters more than any slide deck ever could.

Why In-House PD Usually Falls Flat

Many schools try to run PD internally to save money or make use of in-house talent. It’s a good-hearted effort, but internal PD often falls flat because your best teachers aren’t necessarily your best facilitators. The same faces saying the same things starts to feel stale, no matter how well-intentioned it all is. And when teachers are pulling double duty to both teach and run PD, neither job gets the full attention it deserves.

Fresh eyes matter. Outside expertise matters. And frankly, your teachers deserve better than another "let’s workshop this" afternoon that leaves everyone staring at the clock, silently begging for it to end. Bringing in new voices isn’t just a luxury — it’s how you break the cycle of uninspired, ineffective professional development.

What Great Professional Development Should Look Like

If you want to energize your staff instead of draining them, PD must be customized, practical, engaging, and respectful. Generic PD isn’t just boring — it’s disrespectful. Teachers want content that matches their needs, not cookie-cutter presentations from someone who doesn’t know their students or their challenges. Big theory is fine for universities, but in K–12 schools, teachers need real-world strategies they can use tomorrow morning, not five years from now.

Adults learn best through interaction, conversation, and reflection — not passive listening. The best PD doesn’t talk at teachers; it engages with them. And most importantly, truly effective PD treats teachers like the professionals they are. It respects their experience, builds on it, and offers fresh perspectives without condescension. When professional development is designed with these principles in mind, it stops being an eye-roll and starts being something teachers actually look forward to. Imagine that.

And Here’s Where The Pen Weekly Comes In

If you’ve been nodding along so far, thinking, "Yes, this is exactly what we need!" — good news: this is exactly what The PEN Weekly does.

At The PEN Weekly, we believe teachers deserve PD that respects their expertise, values their time, and genuinely helps them grow. Our sessions aren’t generic plug-and-play workshops. They are custom-built to meet your school’s specific goals, challenges, and vision.

When your teachers attend a PEN Weekly session, they leave with strategies they can actually use - strategies rooted in real classroom experience, not ivory-tower theory. Our facilitators don’t just have education degrees; they have chalk dust under their nails and stories from the trenches. We don’t do endless lectures. We create experiences that are engaging, energizing, and - most importantly - transformative.

If you’re serious about making your next PD day a day that teachers actually talk about in a good way - not just endure - it’s time to stop settling.

The PEN Weekly is ready to partner with you and help make that transformation happen.

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