Professional Learning Committee

My first experience with a Professional Learning Committee meeting took place at Oceanside High School. Every Monday at 7:00am the teachers meet up with their departments and discuss the progress of each teacher’s class as well as discuss goals. From time to time, the assistant principal or the principal will visit these meetings and offer assistance if need be. The Professional Learning Committee meetings at Valley High School occur every first Thursday of the month during first period, which lasts for 53 minutes. The students do not come to school until second period. All the teachers meet in the lounge and review a list of students who either deserve or does not deserve the opportunity to stay at Valley High School as a fifth year student. The meeting is facilitated by the principal who calls out each name from a list and each Connections teacher either says “yes” for the student to resume as a student at Valley High School or “no” for the student to continue their education at adult education. The Connections teachers of course have to give reason behind their decision and sometimes there would be debates coming from different teachers who have had the student.  These experiences that I have gained from both high schools gave me insight as to how the professional learning committees are facilitated. I am looking forward to the meetings that I will encounter in the near future as I begin my career as an English teacher.