Professional development requires authenticity

A Secondary 1 teacher shares her thoughts on what matters when embarking on a professional development process. The key according to her: professional authenticity. 

Texts on professional development (#devprof), it's raining; there are plenty of opportunities to seize to maintain it. Whether we think of conferences, seminars, training, CréaCamps, podcasts, workshops, university programs, the paths are varied for the teacher who wants to improve his skills and his feeling of professional efficiency. Faced with these many roads, it is important to ask yourself: who am I? Where am I going?

Be "authentic"

As a faithful friend, Antidote defines this great qualifier that is “authentic” as being the character of something original, sincere, honest. When it comes to authenticity, few will say that they are not themselves. But it is important for everyone to understand their own authenticity, who he / she is. 

Are we comfortable with change? If not, do we want to become it? Do we like technology? Do we want to tame it? Do we want to learn new things? Or are we rather well "in our slippers"? Do we need a new challenge? 

To these questions, everyone answers according to their profile, and no one has the same answers. In fact, to be authentic at the professional level is to want to improve what resembles us, learn what interests us and develop knowledge that reaches us. The #devprof will be effective and useful insofar as the person who decides to engage in this process does so for reasons that motivate him. 

The length of the path

Then the first step is the most important to take in my opinion. Once engaged, it is more difficult to back down. But when you feel like giving it all up for whatever reason, remember that all the roads are strewn with stones. It is then necessary to decide to bypass them or to turn back. 

Several external actors will also be added to the process: colleagues who act in support or who discourage, a family which encourages or which leads to guilt, bosses who motivate or who put sticks in the wheels. 

There are also models, these people whom we admire and who represent, in a way, an ideal. The goal should not be TO BECOME such people. It should rather be to be inspired by their success in order to model it in its image, in its own authenticity. You always end up becoming a role model for someone else. 

Authenticity keeps the course. The "why" must be stronger than the rest.  

In short, the important thing in all this is to remain yourself and that professional development is a motivator, and not a drag that you drag. 

With that, good approach!