3.10: Anchors Up! Professional Learning Built to Sail

In this episode, we sit down with Technology Support Specialist, Jessica Gutierrez, to explore how professional learning can move with purpose by honoring teacher voice, choice, and real classroom needs. Using Summer Summit as a case study, we examine how one thoughtfully designed, conference-style day can boost teacher confidence, strengthen connections across SLPS, and lead to meaningful classroom follow-through.

What began as a response to real challenges—teacher schedules, summer timing, and access—has evolved into an engaging learning experience built around flexibility and relevance. From personalized registration pathways to a wide variety of sessions—including Canvas, instructional strategies, ESE support, and ELL-focused practices—teachers are empowered to choose learning that matters to them. The conference-style design brings energy and collaboration, while intentional session structures create time for reflection, planning, and immediate application.

We also highlight key design decisions, including the one-day format that maximizes attention and momentum, as well as sneak peek sessions that introduce new resources and tools. Learning continues beyond the event through Lounge and Learn opportunities and the professional learning catalog, ensuring sustained impact. If this conversation resonates, share the podcast with a colleague—and join us again next month, wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

Welcome And The Big Idea

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Hello and welcome to Straight Chalk, a podcast for busy educators. My name's Belinda Benner O'Donez, and I am an instructional specialist in St. Lucie Public Schools. As always, we want to get straight to the learning that truly matters. Today, we're lifting anchor to talk about professional learning that is intentionally designed to move, not drift. This month I'm joined by Jessica Gutierrez, a technology specialist in St. Lucie Public Schools. Together, we'll explore how honoring teacher voice isn't just a nice idea, it's what truly sets the direction for meaningful, impactful professional learning. Today's conversation anchors up Professional Learning Built to Sale, centers on how thoughtfully designed learning grounded in real classroom needs doesn't just stay afloat, it sets a clear course forward. However, before we dive in, let's start with quick introductions. Please share your role in St. Lucie Public Schools. And I'd love for you to share your spark moment, one thing big or small, that recently reminded you why the work you do matters.

Jessica's Spark Moment

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Hi Belinda, thank you so much for having me on here. I'm really excited. So my name is Jessica Gutierrez. I am a technology support specialist here with St. Lucie Public Schools. I've been with St. Lucie for 18 years. My first 10 years as an elementary teacher, top grades first through third. This is my eighth year in this role as a technology support specialist on the curriculum team. I think one of my spark moments came when I was helping a teacher feel more comfortable with using technology in their classroom. I think especially through using like that blended approach, right? We were exploring how Canvas specifically could be used not just for an assignment, but to really differentiate and meet the needs of students where they are. I had a teacher that kind of shared a little bit about how after making a couple of small changes, like offering choice and activities, she saw a difference in her students. More of them were engaged and participating, you know, working at their own pace and showing a little more confidence that she didn't see before. And I think that was kind of like a big reminder for me that when we really empower our teachers to feel confident with technology, it doesn't just impact their instruction, but it also transforms a student's experience in the classroom.

SPEAKER_02 2:16

I love that. It's always good when you see the light bulbs go up and help in some way. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

That's one of my favorite things.

SPEAKER_02 2:24

Yeah, absolutely. We wouldn't be here if we didn't, right? That's that's part of the thrill of the beginning education.

Why Summer Summit Had To Change

SPEAKER_02 2:29

So well, I want to start off with, you know, where it all began. We know research continues to show that professional learning is most effective when it's connected to real classroom practice and teacher-identified needs. Something Darling Hammond Heiler and Gardner emphasize in their work on effective professional learning. Drawing from my own research, it's it's essential to build teacher efficacy through creating those positive experiences, attitudes, and opportunities for risk taking in professional development. However, to first set the stage for our listeners, Jessica, let's start at the beginning. What sparked the idea for Summer Summit and what need were you seeing among teachers that made this kind of professional learning feel necessary?

SPEAKER_01 3:08

Well, I love this question and I think it's so great. For me, Summer Summit's idea really started from my own experience as a teacher. And when I transitioned into this role, it kind of gave me that opportunity to bring this to light. I always love the opportunity to learn and grow during the summer. You know, it's that downtime, it's the place where as a teacher, we get that chance to kind of reflect throughout the year. And then also, you know, as a teacher, our mind is always going in the summer. Like we're always thinking about what's next. What do we do next? What's going to happen next year? You know, how do I change this? How do I make it better? What do I modify? And that's kind of where it really started. You know, throughout the school year, we know as a classroom teacher, there is so much going on. There are so many responsibilities. There are other required trainings that it can be really hard to find time for the kind of professional learning that we want to choose for ourselves because it may spark our interest or it may meet a specific need that I'm seeing as a teacher in my classroom. When I started thinking more intentionally about summer learning, I noticed that a lot of those opportunities were really spread out through the entire summer. That's what I noticed when I was sitting as a classroom teacher looking at professional learning opportunities for summer, you know, realizing that it made it really hard for me to attend because they were so spread out. And I knew that, you know, I had to find child care or I was out of town or there was something else going on and I couldn't make it to some of those opportunities that I really wanted to attend. So stepping into this role really gave me that chance to kind of think a little bit different and from a different perspective. In addition, you know, after starting this role, I also had teachers share that this also made it difficult to attend summer professional learning opportunities because for the same reasons. There were vacation planned, there were family responsibilities, everything else that was going on, and it just wasn't always feasible for them. So I think the idea for summer summit really came from that. And it was really about kind of thinking of a way to reimagine that experience, right? Take those learning opportunities, bring them together into like one single, like high impact learning day for teachers. So the idea for a one-day conference came about where teachers can come in, they can choose sessions that truly interest them, maybe explore topics that they don't really always get the chance to dive into during the school year. For me, it was really about creating an experience that felt like energizing, that felt relevant for them, and that gave them a choice and made it feel worth it. And that's where I was like, I really want to try something like this. Let's see if you know it could bring that opportunity for all of our teachers to be able to attend.

SPEAKER_02 5:48

Yeah, and I really appreciate the fact that you're intentionally thinking about as a teacher all year long, you are so stretched, you're stretched thin in regards to what you have to do with your students, you know, for your parents, for that learning community at your school site. And you get access to training. There's training all year round, but like you mentioned, it's you know, sometimes it's mandated. We do have days where you can pick some things, but sometimes you might be locked in if you're an ELA teacher or a math teacher. You have to attend certain sessions, and so that choice gets limited a little bit. So with Summer Summit, I love the fact that it's full of choice, and we're going to get into that in a minute, but full of choice, lots of choice, you know. And then you've also, yeah, you've also got that time to decompress and think about how I can turnkey that, right?

SPEAKER_01 6:31

So yeah, that's a that's a huge point, Belinda, right there, like about giving the teachers the time because they have all summer to like mull it over, like really think how they can take this and implement it, you know, in their classroom for the following year.

SPEAKER_02 6:46

Yeah, and and we know adult learning research, particularly Knowles Adult Learning Theory, highlight the autonomy and relevance as key drivers of engagement and then transfer, like you said. How do we take that learning over summer at Summer Summit and then bring it into our practice when school starts

Building Voice And Choice Into PL

SPEAKER_02 7:02

again? So when teachers walk into summer summit this year, what does the experience actually feel like? How are voice and choice intentionally built into the day? So teachers aren't just attending learning, they're truly owning it.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Absolutely. I think when teachers are getting the opportunity to walk into summer summit this year, and not only this year, but really every year, we've tried to be very intentional. We really want it to feel energizing and we want it to be welcoming and truly designed for them specifically. It's not about just sitting there and listening in a session. It's more about really giving them that conference-like experience where they have the movement, they have the choice, they have excitement. There's different things going on throughout the day. Teachers are exploring the sessions that they selected. They get the opportunity to connect with other colleagues that they don't get to do normally because they're at another school. And here we're bringing everybody together in one space. You know, they have the opportunity to gauge in their learning that really feels relevant to their classroom, their needs, their students. And like you mentioned, voice and choice is really a huge part of how we design this day. From the very beginning of registration, teachers have the opportunity to choose their own learning path. They're not assigned a session, they're not assigned a track, they're not assigned anything when it comes to summer summit. Whether they want to explore like a new technology tool that maybe they haven't had the opportunity to experience before, or if they want to focus on like instructional strategies, or even try something else. They're able to build a schedule that fits their interests and needs. You know, we we intentionally design these sessions to be interactive, to be practical and applicable for them and their role. Teachers aren't just listening, they may actually be creating something during their session. They are getting the opportunity to collaborate with other like teachers that are in a similar role as them or similar grade band content area. And they get to walk away with something that they can actually use, something they can implement. I think that's what makes this experience a little bit more powerful. We want them to leave inspired, and that's the end of it. I mean, there's also some fun stuff that we get to do, you know. We this year, you know, we're getting to provide them a little grab and go breakfast. We always have some of those opportunities. We also involve um in this experience, truly making it like a true conference. We we reach out to our community and our business partners and we invite them in, you know, to come be a part of it, to come provide some goodies for the teachers that are there, or, you know, just join us in that. So they really get that chance to truly have a real conference experience here in St.

SPEAKER_02 9:49

Lucie with us. You mentioned one of the key things. Anytime there's an event or there's professional learning, whether it's monthly via Teams or, you know, it's in person like this as an intensive sort of day, you're mixing with staff at other school sites. So it's that bubbling up of ideas that gets transferred from teacher to teacher, no matter what school you're at. And then they can grow their own relationships like outside with each other. As summer summit ends, you can continue that learning with colleagues after it's over. So I love the fact that it's there, it's available, and um, we set up ways for them to do that. As a presenter, I've been at Summer Summits myself. So I know that you know, part of that is to help them once the day's over or your session's done, is to take some of that and they can share with each other. So we make sure that we set that environment up so that they can continue to communicate and share their ideas post-conference.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

Absolutely. It you are a hundred percent on point there. It's so important that they make those connections too, because when we're in our schools and our classroom and our four walls all day, we don't necessarily have that opportunity, with the exception of working with our, you know, either our grade band or, you know, our content area, right? Like, so we don't necessarily always get that opportunity to collaborate with teachers from other schools. So sometimes that's such a powerful tool and it's so empowering for teachers to be able to work together, not just within their own school, but across our entire district, you know, collaborating with all of the teachers. So you're a hundred percent on point. It's such a huge piece of it.

Reflection That Turns Ideas Into Action

SPEAKER_02 11:22

And experience alone isn't enough if there's no time to reflect. We all know sometimes learning feels rushed. We try very hard not to do that. We, you know, but time constraints can sometimes feel like that. And I know one challenge teachers often share is having limited time to process that learning and turn it into action. So this reflects Pedta's concept of learning with follow-through that outline time for reflection increases implementation and of course impact. So, Jessica, with that in mind, how does Summer Summit intentionally build in space for teachers to digest, reflect, and think about how those ideas will actually show up in their classrooms?

SPEAKER_01 11:59

I think that we kind of build that space in a few different ways. First, specifically with the sessions, they are designed to be practical so that the teachers aren't just hearing these ideas. You know, they're actively working through how these ideas could look in their own content or in their with their own students, you know, based on their own goals for their classrooms. So that would be step one, you know, that's one of the ways. I think we also will encourage our presenters who are coming to present at Summer Summit to include those moments for reflections within their sessions, whether that's maybe a pause to think about how a strategy fits into their classroom, or maybe even having collaborate with their peers in that session. It could be even starting to build something that they can take back during the session so that it is very reflective in that moment and valuable to them. I think that the key piece that we want teachers to have is that we want them to leave not just inspired, but kind of with a vision of like, hey, I know how I'm going to try this, or I'm really excited to try this when I get back to my room. You know, that reflection and ownership is really what turns professional learning into something that may have a lasting impact in a classroom. And I think that's important. Our sessions are built in an hour and 15 minute increments. And, you know, that sounds, that sounds unique because it's not like you're straight one hour. It's an hour and 15, but we know that this gives a little bit room for some of those conversations. And if I have 45 minutes to an hour of content that I want to share, I still have some space for that reflective piece. That's where we kind of are very intentional and strategic with our planning of our sessions. Right.

SPEAKER_02 13:38

As professional designers and instructors, we've given professional learning a lot to teachers in different ways, shapes, and forms, you and I and others that we work with. But it's always like you said, sometimes it is. It's just that you may not be able to dive deeply within an hour and a half, but you're giving the process time, they're talking to others, you know, across different sites, but it's starting that ripple effect. It's one little nugget, I always say, that you can take back and think about that one thing, because maybe not everything they're going to hear in any session is going to resonate. But there's that one thing I always say, if you go into it with that mindset of looking for that one thing, it gives you something to intentionally think about and then take back with you to work with and plan and see how that can be infused into your lesson design moving forwards. It is hard to fit it, but like I said, if you're looking for one thing, just take that and sit roll with that new idea and see how far you get.

SPEAKER_01 14:29

That's something that I think I I tell teachers all the time, you know, I specifically work a lot with Canvas and training some of our teachers how to use a platform. And, you know, it can be overwhelming when you take on something new at times. So I think it's so important to that point to be like, take one piece. Don't try to take all of it at one time and implement all of it. One little piece, start there and then add something new. Try to focus on one thing for one week and start that.

What Teachers Experience During The Day

SPEAKER_01 14:56

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 14:56

So I'm excited for this. Not that I'm not excited for everything we're talking about, but I'm super excited because I want to know what's on dock. And yes, I'm using our sailing discourse today, but I want to talk about what teachers can actually expect when they look at the schedule. So, can you give us a snapshot of the types of sessions available at Summer Summit from technology and content-specific learning to classroom management instructional strategies and those sneak peek sessions teachers love?

SPEAKER_01 15:23

Oh, absolutely. I think I love this question because it's really one of my favorites and it really gets to the heart of what makes Summer Summit such a unique experience for us, right? Um, when we think about like these sessions, again, like we've talked about, you know, we're really intentional about offering something and we try to offer something for everyone as best we can. When you look at the Summer Summit schedule, you see a wide range of sessions. And this includes set like technology sessions, content-specific sessions that are aligned to what a teacher is teaching in their classroom. However, we also do offer other sessions that are focused on strategies for our ESE students and for our ELL students and how to support them. We have sessions that include how to help teachers better meet the needs of all of their students. And alongside that, there are sessions that are centered on instructional strategies. You know, things like student engagement and behavior management are also a part of this. Then of course, we include those little sneak peek sessions, like you mentioned, that teachers always get excited, excited about, especially when it's about giving them an early peek or a little look at a new resource or a new platform that's coming to our district. As far as the flow of the day, I mean, it's really designed to feel like a true conference experience. Teachers start with that check-in and a grab and go breakfast. It's a quick grab and go breakfast as they're heading over to their first session, you know. But after check-in, they do have a quick, you know, we have a quick 15-minute welcome session, and that kind of just gives us the opportunity to give all of them an overview of how the flow of the day goes, especially when we have new attendees this year or every year. We really have people that have never attended before. So the focus really is about making it like that true conference experience, right? And then after that opening session, they move in through multiple session blocks. This year we have four total content sessions that teachers can attend, and that's based off of that personalized schedule that they built based on their interests or needs at registration time. There's a little bit of time also in between the sessions to kind of connect with colleagues. It also has that time to visit some of those vendors that are there as well. And all of our vendors are lined up in that main hallway, you know, so that as they're moving through sessions there, they're able to see them easily and visit with them. We have a lunch break, and this year we are fortunate to have food trucks that are will be on site for teachers.

SPEAKER_00 17:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:53

To be able to, you know, pick and choose what they would like for lunch. We really do try to make it easier for them and have opportunities and availability for them while they're there. We will close out the date by bringing everyone back together for a quick 10-minute wrap-up session. And this is where we always have some giveaways for the teachers. That's always the fun part, right?

SPEAKER_00 18:14

Like the raffles and the giveaways, you know.

SPEAKER_01 18:16

That's always a big highlight. They do have to be present to win. So that is a key piece of that. So, you know, um, they have to be there to win their prize. So it kind of keeps the excitement going all the way to the end. And it's a fun way to celebrate the teachers at the end of the day, you know, kind of ending on that high note. You know, overall, it really is like a dynamic, choice-driven experience where we hope teachers feel inspired and ready to bring back some new ideas to their classrooms.

SPEAKER_02 18:45

And I know you you mentioned they are coming to learn, but it's also powerful, I think we've touched on it, but the learning that they bring even to the sessions and honoring that experience, and we've got a mix of experienced teachers that have been in education for many plus years, and then we have our new folks, they're all learning from each other. So I love the fact they're coming to learn, but they also bring with them their unique knowledge sets as well. So that learning becomes amplified because they bring their own experience. It's just a great day, and I I love that that variety of the day feels intentional. We know that well-designed, intensive professional learning experience can be just as impactful, if not more so, than longer formats.

Why One Focused Day Wins

SPEAKER_02 19:25

This year's summer summit has shifted to that one day instead of two. What guided that decision and how does bringing educators together for one focused day strengthen connection attention and overall impact?

SPEAKER_01 19:36

So I think what we were hearing a lot was that while summer learning was available, it was difficult for teachers to really be able to attend when they were spread out. You know, and we kind of touched a little bit about this earlier, you know, that made it a little difficult to be able to really get here in person and attend these events. I think that by bringing it together into this one-day conference style format, we created that intentional and a more impactful experience where teachers were not just getting one session here, but maybe there was something else they wanted to attend but couldn't. Now they were having the opportunity to get multiple learning experiences in one day on multiple topics, you know. And I think there's really something powerful about having them all in one place at the same time with that shared purpose in mind. It strengthens those connections between teachers and the learning alongside other colleagues is also a big component to that, you know, because now you have teachers from across the district having these real conversations. They're being able to share those ideas and also building that sense of community and pride about our district and our schools. It helps, I think, with some of the attention and engagement that we see in our professional learning. Um, instead of kind of being so stretched out throughout the year trying to pick up other sessions, this kind of becomes that one immersive experience for the day that they have in a full day. It gives the teachers to be the opportunity to be fully present and hopefully they feel energized and are able to really dive into the learning that they're getting without so many outside distractions, or I need to go work on this, or this is in the back of my head, I haven't finished grading. You know, it's giving them that opportunity to do that. I think that, or I hope, that this day, this style creates like momentum for teachers and reinvigorates their passion where they're just not attending a session and then moving on. They're getting that opportunity to really experience multiple learning moments in that one single day, being able to reflect and collaborate and build on those ideas as they're going throughout it. By the end of it, you know, we always hope that they do leave inspired, but with clear Actionable takeaways and that stronger sense of connection to other teachers, having that focus and that energy and that community. And it's really sometimes what can help make learning stick. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 22:12

I know too, you have a range of different types of presenters.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

Yeah, you're you're one of them, Linda. We're so excited to have you presenting again for us.

SPEAKER_01 22:22

You know, um, we do. We have such a wide range of presenters. If I'm accurate, I believe there are 47 different presenters at Summer Summit. You know, obviously the the main bulk of our presenters comes from our department here in the Office of Teaching and Learning. We have presenters from our curriculum department, from our talent development team, you know, from our ESC department, from our ESOL department. I mean, across multiple areas of our of our district, we have teachers that are presenting sessions, which we are so excited for. Um, we have multiple teachers presenting sessions. We also have outside presenters, right? Like some of those sneak peek sessions, those are coming from some of our outside vendors and business partners that are going to present sessions, you know, like Discovery Education will be presenting for us as well. And then we'll have some of our textbook vendors also sharing some sneak peeks into our newly adopted textbooks that we'll be sharing some excitements for the upcoming year as well. Wow.

Presenters Resources And Closing Takeaways

SPEAKER_02 23:27

Well, Jessica, I am for one excited and ready to set sail with you again at Summer Summit this year. Uh, it's just one entry point into many professional learning opportunities available in St. Lucie Public Schools. Teachers who attend Summer Summit will receive immediate access to lounge and learn. I know the presenters will have that available, a QR code, linking that to our Canva deck loaded with a wide range of additional professional learning options over the summer. If you're at the beach, if you're driving in your car, you know, at the same time, even if you're unable to get to this exciting event, because I know registration is bursting at the seams, I don't even think there's room for many more people to even just register, but it that that's a good problem to have. You know, all teachers can continue their learning through talent development's professional learning catalog with access to multiple modalities, including microlearning modules, 60-second strategies, slips talks, edge-chat video series, canvas courses, podcasts, and much, much more. As we bring today's conversation to a close, it's clear that Anchors Up Professional Learning Built to Sale is more than a theme, it's a mindset. When professional learning is intentionally designed, grounded in that teacher voice, and focused on real classroom impact, it doesn't drift or stall, it moves forward with purpose and a direction. Jessica, thank you for sharing the thoughtful design and intentional decision making behind Summer Summit and for the work you do to ensure learning in St. Lucie Public Schools truly meets teachers where they are. It's easy to see your passion and commitment to professional learning that's built to sale.

SPEAKER_01 24:54

Belinda, thank you so much for inviting me today. I am so excited and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to share a little bit about Summer Summit because it truly is one of my passions. And I love to see teachers coming in with the excitement and the passion that they have. So to me, I'm I'm so thankful that I had this opportunity to be here with you today to have a little bit of a conversation about Summer Summit. And you're right, I mean, it is busting at the seams. We are pretty much sold out for summer summit at this point, which it I mean, I'm jumping for joy at that. It's so exciting. Right?

SPEAKER_00 25:28

But it is so thank you.

SPEAKER_02 25:31

Thank you. And so, and also to our listeners, thank you for joining us on Straight Chalk again this month or wherever you're tuning in from. We hope today's conversation helps you feel informed, energized, and ready to lift anchor because professional learning that honors educator, voice, intention, and impacts is what moves teaching forward everywhere. So, Jessica, again, thank you so much for being with me today. Thank you, Velinda. Once again, thank you for listening to Straight Chalk Podcast for Busy Educators. And be sure you share this podcast with a friend and tune in again next month for more from anywhere you get your podcasts.