Professional development day allows educators to share best practices, experiences

More than 500 teachers and administrators from the diocese’s 22 Catholic elementary schools, Immaculata High School and St. Thomas Aquinas High School came together at seven locations on March 28 to share best practices and experiences during a diocesan professional development day. 

Featuring content developed by teachers and administrators for teachers and administrators, the day’s program offered formal workshops and presentations as well as opportunities for networking and idea-sharing among colleagues.

Teachers were grouped at sites by grade level and, in some cases, subject matter. Laura Condo, kindergarten teacher at St. Ann Classical Academy in Raritan who attended the professional development day at St. Helena School in Edison, noted a workshop entitled “Best Practices in Pre-K and K” presented by Tara Perdoni from Saint Bartholomew School. Condo said, “As an experienced teacher, I found this workshop particularly beneficial. It provided me with new behavioral strategies and practical tips for improving classroom management. Sharing experiences and learning from one another was both enlightening and inspiring.”

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Diskin explained that the day was centered around a belief that some of the most impactful learning happens when educators share their knowledge and experience with one another. “This peer-led model not only highlights the talent and expertise within our diocesan community but also fosters a spirit of collaboration and professional growth,” Diskin said. Grouping teachers by grade level or subject matter allowed for focused time to exchange ideas, discuss challenges and develop new strategies together, he continued. 

Elementary school workshops and presentations spanned a wide range of topics, from handwriting and literacy skills, to reaching struggling readers, STEM activities and “keeping a prayer in your pocket.”

Jaclyn Kaminski, a third grade teacher at Immaculate Conception School in Somerville, saw that benefit. “I appreciated the practical tips and strategies shared for improving classroom behavior and maintaining a positive learning environment,” she said. “The session on discipline management offered new approaches to handling challenging situations while fostering a more proactive and supportive classroom atmosphere.” Beyond sharing expertise, Kaminski said, the day “fostered a sense of community and support.”

At the high school level, teachers and administrators began the day with Mass at Church of the Immaculate Conception in Somerville before heading up the street to Immaculata High School. Before Mass, Mark Fiore, associate principal at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Edison, called the day “long overdue,” and looked forward to “sharing the great work both high schools do.” 

In his homily, Monsignor Joseph Celano, pastor and director of schools, reflected on the Gospel of St. Matthew, noting that Jesus’ response to a question from a scribe deeply schooled in his faith about the greatest commandment – to love God with all one’s heart, soul and mind, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself – demonstrated that “sometimes we just need to hear what we already know.”  He continued, “Love of God and neighbor is borne out of an encounter with the Living God who loves us. We love because we have first been loved.” Our schools are institutions rooted in God’s love – “schools of discipleship where hearts are touched and lives are changed through encounters with Jesus Christ,” he said.  

Kristin Boczany, vice principal for academic affairs at Immaculata and organizer of the high school sessions, thanked those who “answered the call to be presenters.” She noted that while all were accustomed to presenting material in front of groups of students, “in front of your peers, it’s something entirely different.” 

High school content covered topics like “Gamifying Your Class,” “Illuminating Faith,” “Understanding Hatred through the Atrocities of the Holocaust,” and “The Power of Rubrics,” among many others. In the description of a session on technology and social media, attendees were invited to come prepared with stories and tech tools that both work or haven’t worked, to share, and to laugh. 

There was a lot of that throughout the day and throughout the schools, suggesting that Superintendent Diskin’s goal for the day, “for teachers to leave the day energized, supported and equipped with practical tools and insights they can apply in their classrooms,” had been achieved.