Can you believe we are more than half way through the first week of the, ” What is a R.E.N.E.W.E.D. T.E.A.C.H.E.R.? series? Well let’s get started. On day two, we encountered the first of many E’s. So glad this is not a report card. Today we will learn what the second E stands for.
As a RenewED Teacher we need to:
EDUCATE OURSELVES
There! I said it. We all know that our districts cannot and will not meet all of our professional development needs. No shade to anyone. I am just stating as educators, we have varying needs. One teacher may need to earn an additional certification in order to not be furloughed. Another teacher may desire to become a reading specialist or 
principal. Budgets may be cut, and professional development in the district may suffer because of it. There are many different circumstances that cause districts to be unable to provide adequate PD for their teachers.
When this is an issue, it our responsibility to pick up the slack. Think of it this way, would you want to be under the care of an ignorant doctor or lawyer? One who said they didn’t know something because their hospital or practice did not provide professional development on it? I pray not.
Never the less, in this post, I am sharing five links that will give you access to resources on where you can find free PD to help educate yourselves when your district is unable to.
edWeb.net provides certificates upon completion!
http://home.edweb.net/upcoming-webinars/
Educational Week Professional Development Directory
http://www.edweek.org/tm/section/pddirectory/index.html
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) (Annual Fee)
http://www.ascd.org/professional-development/webinars/ascd-webinar-archive.aspx
For Teachers in PA
http://www.aiu3.net/Level3.aspx?id=400
This next resource is not free, but I highly recommend it if you are looking to grow, challenge yourself, and climb out of your comfort zone for a little while. I highly recommend looking into National Board Teaching Certification. If you take it through a cohort at a University, and your district offers tuition reimbursement, you can practically become certified for free! If your district offers a pay incentive, and the incentive is more than what National Board costs, it will still workout in your favor.
Remember what Napoleon Hill said, “Successful men, in all callings, never stop acquiring specialized knowledge related to their major purpose, business, or profession.”
I hope you enjoy these free PD resources.
While we are sharing, feel free to share some love by sharing some resources you are familiar with in the comments below! I thank you in advance, and I look forward to hearing what you have to say as we continue to learn and grow together!
Until then, Happy Teaching!
Krystal L. Smith
The RenewED Teacher 
I’m not sure if you have Early educators that follow your blog but we have access for very affordable PD or sometimes even free on the PA Keys website, and Better kid care!!!
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Thank you for bringing that to my attention. As an elementary school teacher, this level was my primary focus. But your comment is helping me realize that there is another level of teachers this blog may be beneficial for.
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Thank you for listing ASCD as a resource! I invite you and your readers to also check out our blog (http://inservice.ascd.org/), our Learn Teach Lead weekly podcast (http://www.bamradionetwork.com/ascd-learn-teach-lead-radio/), and our online professional learning platform MyTeachSource (http://myteachsource.ascd.org/).
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You are welcome! Thank you for reaching out, and sharing these additional resources. I recently subscribed to Bamradionetwork, but the others I am unfamiliar with. I will share and check them out!
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