You may be wondering what the teachers do on those first Wednesdays of each month when the students are dismissed early. Teaching is like almost no other profession because teachers work with their "clients," the students, from the time they come in in the morning until the end of the day. There is almost no time to plan together, to talk to colleagues, to raise issues and concerns, to learn new skills.

We are now in the second year of providing a few hours, once a month, for what we call Professional Development. During those Wednesday afternoon, teachers attend training on new materials and new teaching techniques. They work in teams to examine samples of student work to figure out how their lessons are being received by students. They plan how to implement new programs, like Tools of the Mind at Park Avenue or Walk-to-Read at the Middle Schools. They examine school-wide questions, such as how to create an orderly school that is welcoming to high school students. And they work on district-wide questions such as how to align our curriculum with the state learning standards.

It's only a few hours a month, but the benefits last throughout the year.