All teachers benefit from engaging in learning activities with others in their disciplines and/or through conversations with those who teach the same developmental level of students as they do.  Every year, the array of local, regional, and national conferences and workshops of interest to educators is seemingly endless.  Faculty who are interested in attending a workshop or conference should follow these guidelines when asking for funding:

• If the proposed event is directly related to one of the annual School-wide professional development priorities , the interested faculty member should submit a written proposal to the Assistant Head of School (forms are available on the Professional Development section of the MICDS website)

• If the proposed event is one directly related to professional development priorities established at the divisional or departmental level, faculty members should discuss plans with their department chairs or curriculum coordinators and then submit requests for funding to their division directors

From time to time throughout the academic year and also in the summer months, faculty are offered opportunities to engage in professional development activities on campus. Start-of-school and end-of-year meetings might regularly include workshops, discussions of faculty summer reading, and the like.  Likewise, twice per year on in-service days (once in January and again in February) faculty will have the chance to participate in professional discussions and other activities on campus.  These scheduled events are mandatory for all faculty members at MICDS.

For the past two summers, in line with our school-wide commitment to the integration of technology into our pedagogy and our learning goals for the students in our classrooms, MICDS has sponsored an impressive list of technology workshops for teachers here on our campus.  Many have involved presentations by leading national experts in the field of instructional technology whom we have invited to campus while others have been facilitated/hosted by our own expert faculty.  Participation in summer technology workshops has been largely voluntary up until now unless mandated by division directors.  In future, our summer workshop series might expand to embrace other institutional priorities and strengths as well.

Every year MICDS allocates fund to help support the further study of faculty wishing to earn graduate degrees.  Faculty who are interested in pursuing graduate study in education or a discipline central to their work at the School should make an appointment with the Assistant Head of School and/or their division directors to discuss options.  At present, funding is available on a first come, first served basis (pending institutional approval of the proposal) with preference given to those faculty members eager to begin work on a first Masters degree.  Currently second Masters degrees and Doctoral degrees are not being considered for funding.

To secure funding for summer curriculum development work, individuals or groups of faculty members intending to work together on a project submit a proposal to the appropriate division director (the form is available on the Professional Development page of the MICDS website).  Notices go out annually from the division directors in the late-winter/early-spring to remind faculty members to apply for funds for the coming summer months.  Proposals most likely to receive funding are those that are in line with key institutional and/or divisional priorities.

A number of additional funding sources exist for which faculty members may apply on an annual basis.  They are intended to support individual teachers’ efforts to enhance their pedagogy through experiential learning activities in the summer or who want to work in concert with other MICDS teachers on special professional development projects in the summer months.  A call goes out each winter by the Assistant Head of School for proposals for the coming summer.  Awards are announced each May at the annual Faculty Awards Reception.

The Wilma and Roswell Messing, Jr. Summer Sabbatical and The Edward M. Rivinus Summer Sabbatical Funds:

The Messing family established an annual award, The Wilma and Roswell Messing, Jr. Summer Sabbatical Fund, in 1983 for the purpose of supporting summer study or travel that enhances a teacher's expertise while providing renewal and enjoyment.  A total of $3,000 is available from this fund.  

In 1987 the Parents' Association created an endowment for the purpose of funding faculty summer sabbaticals. The fund was named in memory of Edward M. Rivinus, a respected English teacher, who died in the summer of 1987.  This fund generates $4,700 annually.

The purpose of both the Messing and Rivinus Funds is to enable faculty to engage in meritorious cultural or academic pursuits that will broaden their educational experience. While such pursuits are not limited to academic work per se, the knowledge and understanding should advance the teacher's professional competencies in order to serve better the students of the School.  Both the Messing and Rivinus Funds are meant to underwrite more unusual, creative, or cultural experiences.

The Thomas Family Fellowship:

In 2003, former parent and Board Chair, Jack Thomas ’70 and his family, established a fellowship for MICDS that is designated to be used for institutional priorities.  The Thomas Fund generates $6,200 annually.  This coming summer The Thomas Fund will be awarded to those faculty members wishing to focus on one of the following institutional initiatives, with priority given to groups of teachers who share a common interest:

    1)  preparation for the integration of tablet laptop computers in grades 7, 9 and 10; or
    2)  developing confident and compassionate world citizens.  

The Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Fund for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics

The Loeb Fund was established to assist mathematics faculty in their efforts to continue to improve their teaching through study and research.  Approximately $7,500 is available annually from The Loeb Fund.  Priority will be given to groups of teachers who share a common interest.

The Mary Institute Class of 1957 Endowed Fund for Faculty Continuing Education

This endowed fund allows a member of the MICDS faculty to apply to receive funds to sponsor a summer experience that will enhance his/her personal and professional skill set.  The application requires that the faculty member describe in detail how this experience will enrich his/her teaching and how what he/she has learned or experienced will be shared with colleagues and/or students.  Some opportunities might include international travel, a summer workshop or special course work in an area of interest.

Faculty members are appointed to their positions at MICDS with the expectations that they possess the necessary knowledge, pedagogical skills, personality, demeanor, and character to be productive, contributing members of the School community, ones who will merit re-appointment in subsequent years.  Formal classroom observations, conversations with direct supervisors, and written reviews are annual occurrences for faculty members.  Emphasis is placed not only on performance but also on measurable growth and personal betterment.

MICDS invests significant time and resources into the annual faculty evaluation process wholly in order to help faculty at all stages in their careers improve their craft as professional educators.  While observations and annual written reviews are never used to determine pay raises or salary levels, they may be used to determine merit awards and/or identify weaknesses or deficiencies significant enough to warrant that a faculty member be placed on probation for the coming year.  It is important to note that the overall focus of the annual observation and review process is on the sustained professional growth of the faculty members involved.

Each fall, faculty members meet with their department chairs or division directors to establish goals and a personal action plan for the coming school year.  Faculty are then observed periodically over the course of the year by their division directors and their department chairs/curriculum coordinators.  Observations often, but will not necessarily, involve pre-observation and post-observation conversations.  

In addition, those faculty who teach students in grades 5-12 are required to submit mid-term or mid-semester teacher evaluation forms to the students in their classes.  These important student feedback instruments are intended to help teachers identify areas of strength and areas where improvement might be important and can still be implemented before the grading period ends.  They will be read and evaluated by department chairs and/or division directors before being sent on to faculty members for their final review.

In the late-winter, faculty members will complete a mid-year reflection form which they will then submit to their department chairs or division directors for their review.  A formal written review will then be produced by the department chair and/or division director and discussed in a personal meeting with the faculty member.  Department chairs and/or division directors will include in their annual review document a series of recommendations for the coming year, ones that the faculty member will be expected to take into consideration when drafting his/her list of goals and subsequent personal action plan the following fall.

Faculty who are in their first or second year of teaching at MICDS (regardless of prior teaching experience earned elsewhere) will be observed for five consecutive days in the late-fall or early-winter by the department chair or division director.  These series of observations will always involve pre- and post-observation discussions between the faculty member and his/her direct supervisor.

Faculty who have been placed on probationary status will be required to complete the substantive five-day cycle of consecutive classroom observation by their direct supervisors until pedagogical practices improve significantly enough to warrant a return to the observation/evaluation cycle for veteran faculty members.  In cases of lack of significant improvement, faculty on probationary status may not be asked to return to the School for the following academic year.

Teachers who have been part of the faculty for three or more years will be observed formally at least once per academic year by their department chairs and/or division directors and can expect casual drop-ins from time to time as well.  On a rotational basis of every third or fourth year, veteran faculty will be required to complete the more substantive five-day cycle of consecutive classroom observations as well.

All MICDS faculty are expected to observe two sessions (they need not be consecutive teaching days) of a colleague’s classes by the time of their mid-winter evaluation meetings with their department chairs and/or division directors.  Forms for peer observations are available on the Professional Development page of the MICDS website and should be submitted, when completed, to the Assistant Head of School and department chairs and/or division directors.

At MICDS, we believe student feedback to be a critical component in the overall professional development of teachers as teachers.  All teachers in grades 5-12 actively seek feedback from their students around the mid-point of each major grading period.  Once collected, student reflections are made accessible to the teacher him/herself, to the teacher’s Department Chair and Division Director, and to the Head of School and Assistant Head of School for their review as well.  Student feedback offers a unique window into the educational experiences of the children in our classrooms and it serves as an important starting point for fruitful conversations between teachers and those who oversee their work.  It also provides faculty with the information necessary to make mid-course corrections so that students’ learning needs are met most effectively.  In addition, student feedback also helps faculty members to develop individualized growth plans and to make strategic, well-informed professional development decisions.  The overarching goal of soliciting feedback of all kinds is to improve instruction and reflects the School’s deep and sincere commitment to life-long learning for all members of our community.