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AEA Expands PD Offerings
AEA is Bringing Professional Development to YOU!
The Arkansas Education Association is mounting a new effort to bring professional development opportunities to members in the field.
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Donella Smither is the Professional Development Organizer for AEA. She is traveling the state to introduce herself and this new position to AEA members and potential members. The professional development offered by AEA is free to all districts and now, with this new position, the sessions can be brought directly to each school.
At a recent District meeting in Forrest City, Smither led a member recruitment training, showing members how to map buildings and emphasizing the importance of one on one conversations. Following the organizing information, she shared stress management techniques to help teachers decompress, as well as ideas to help students who are under pressure from tests, classwork, or even situations outside of the school building.
Smither works closely with fellow AEA staff to build these and other professional development sessions that are relevant to Arkansas educators. As a former educator, she knows the value of quality professional development and how hard it is to find the time and money to attend.
“I hope that with this new position I can help my former colleagues connect with AEA and its professional development offerings, not to mention AEA’s many other benefits,” she said. “This organization has so much to offer and ways to get engaged. It’s just a matter of getting the word out!”
AEA Executive Director Tracey-Ann Nelson says the exciting opportunity offers AEA a chance to share the benefits of the organization, but it’s also a way to take on the responsibility of helping educators be better for their students.
“It is important for educators to know that they are not alone,” Nelson said. “They have an organization that supports and values their work and sacrifice.”
The trainings are also based on real issues affecting Arkansas’s public schools. Nelson said Arkansas is ranked fifth in the nation for children who have experienced some form of trauma. “It is shockingly prevalent in our state,” Nelson said. “If a student is coming to school traumatized, how do you think they are going to be able to perform academically? How is that teacher going to identify how to address that student’s needs?”
As a result, trauma training was prioritized when Smither started building her presentations. She said it’s rewarding to share ideas that can have an immediate impact in the classroom.
“This is a way to lift up educators,” Smither said. “As I’m traveling the state, I want to give educators the tools to be the best they can be for the students of Arkansas.”
To request a training for your area, visit aeaonline.org/pd or reach out to your UniServ Director. Need contact info? There’s an app for that. Search for “MyAEA” in the Apple app store or on Google Play.
