Stop Training Teachers. Start Growing Professionals.

"We have six hours of mandatory professional development (PD) today," the teacher whispered as they filed into the auditorium.
"Death by PowerPoint, here we come."

I hear versions of this everywhere I go.
Talented educators, hungry to grow, subjected to sit-and-get sessions that treat them like empty vessels waiting to be filled.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: most professional development isn’t professional, and it isn’t development.

Real growth happens when we treat teachers like the experts they already are, not problems we need to fix.

The research is clear: adults learn best with choice, relevance, and collaboration.
Yet we still design PD for control, not for growth: sit still, listen quietly, implement exactly as told.

So: Stop Training Teachers. Start Growing Professionals.

The schools that transform don’t train their teachers. They create conditions where growth is inevitable.

👉 Replace “sit and get” with “collaborate and create.” When teachers tackle real problems together, learning is meaningful, not mandatory.

👉 Give professionals choice. A fifth-grade teacher struggling with math engagement doesn’t need literacy strategies. Honor their expertise by letting them pursue what matters most for their students.

👉 Put peer expertise at the center. The best insights aren’t coming from consultants — they’re happening in the classroom next door. Build systems that amplify what’s already working.

Professional development should feel less like compliance and more like collaboration.
Less like being told what to do, and more like being trusted to figure it out together.

Because when you treat professionals like professionals, they don’t just act like professionals — they grow your whole culture.

So here’s my question:
What’s one way you’re shifting from training teachers to growing professionals in your school?