Friday, February 17th, was a very special day for all ADM teachers and a handful of ADM students. While most students enjoyed a day off from classes, educators and several RSVP members arrived at the high school before 8 am to experience a day of peer learning sessions and two sessions with guest speaker Todd Whitaker. Whitaker is a published author of many books on improvement in various aspects, centering around education.

The day was focused on becoming better educators through each other, learning from the experiences of colleagues and growing as a whole staff unit. As the day progressed, there was more and more discussion between educators that sparked new ideas and ambitions. It was clear that this experience was inspiring many members of the ADM staff to grow and become even better than before.

Whitaker gave an opening address at the start of the day to begin the conference with fresh minds and positive attitudes. He spoke of his experiences as an educator and speaker, lacing in light-hearted jokes that kept the audience of educators smiling. His closing address aimed to cement the ambitions and hopes of people who had spent the whole day learning how to grow. He inspired with several meaningful lines that emphasized the gravity that teachers have in the lives of their students.

“There are many professions in the world that don’t matter. You just happen to have chosen the one that does,” said Whitaker to his audience of teachers in his closing speech.

It is fair to expect greatness from ADM educators, especially after such an inspirational conference with such an incredible speaker. Be prepared to see great things!