Page 40 - The EDGE Fall 2024

What Now for AASBO Professional Development?

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to adjust to ensure your time and workshop get out of a person. Cloning people is still
dollars are well spent. Does this mean illegal and the idea of chopping Karin Smith
you shouldn’t attend in person if you can? in half to see if we can grow TWO Karin
Absolutely not! I’m not going to lie – some Smiths has been frowned upon.
of this workshop material is drier than my So how do we fix this? The answer could be
front lawn and thicker than Gary Barkman’s staring you in the face. If you’re reading this
mustache. Online classes aren’t for everyone, article, or you’re at that bi-monthly, or sitting
but we want you to have the opportunity! in a workshop, or preparing a conference
slideshow – guess what? It’s YOU, my friend.

Priority 2: Expand our Course Catalog. The question is not “What can I teach?”,
Despite having several classes or workshops because everyone knows something. It’s how

a month, we are just scratching the surface do we help you get from THERE to HERE.
of the knowledge required for people to Personal development IS professional
learn their jobs. How many people out in the development, and working to build good
workplace were trained only by someone else presenters is beneficial for everyone.
in their office or their predecessor if they’re
lucky? And who trained that person? Likely
yet another person in the office at the time. "This November, AASBO
And who trained THAT person? You get the will deliver our first hybrid
picture – it’s like the professional development

version of the Telephone Game. Bits and workshop for a Chart of Ac-
pieces trickle down the line until, at the end,
you’re struck by an epiphany that has you counts class to test the wa-
asking, “Why am I printing my requestor’s
emails on 3 different colors of paper and who ters on expanding our avai-

is this ‘Charta Count’ lady that is supposed to lability to staff members
be verifying everything?”
everywhere."
But HOW do we expand our offerings? The
powerhouses at HeinfeldMeech have done Being a school business official is not
an AMAZING job developing and delivering
something that people aspire to when they’re
a huge part of our PD slate. Throw in some
getting ready to graduate high school. Until
awesome vendors and a smattering of school
district know-it-alls and you have a very I started this job waaaaay back in 2005 I
was blissfully unaware that there was a
capable pool of presenters. But it’s not enough business side to schools. Back then I just
and there is only so much bandwidth you can
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40 THE EDGE FALL 2024