Heather Sherburn is a retired Assistant Superintendent, K–12 Education and the Chief Academic Officer for SchoolDay.
After 34 years in public education and now three years working in EdTech, I’ve found myself thinking about something that I can’t quite shake.
We keep asking teachers to do more.
Learn another platform.
Master another initiative.
Understand another AI tool.
Attend another training.
And while every one of those things may have value, I sometimes wonder if we’ve been asking the wrong question.
Instead of asking, “What else do teachers need to learn?” maybe we should be asking, “How can we better support the incredible professionals who are already carrying so much?”
Because here’s what I know after a lifetime in education.
Teachers are still the living, breathing heartbeat of every school.
They are where the magic happens.
Long after students forget the worksheet, the test score, or even the lesson itself, they remember the teacher who believed in them. They remember the teacher who noticed when they were struggling, celebrated their successes, and made them feel like they belonged.
No technology will ever replace that.
No artificial intelligence tool will ever replace that.
And no professional development program should ever lose sight of that.
What has changed isn’t the importance of teachers. It’s everything surrounding their work.
Today’s educators are navigating artificial intelligence, student wellness, cybersecurity, changing curriculum, digital citizenship, family communication, and preparing students for careers that may not even exist yet. It’s no wonder so many teachers feel like they’re running as fast as they can just to stay in place.
That’s why I’ve come to believe that the future of education isn’t about expecting teachers to become superheroes.
It’s about building systems that support them better.
One of the greatest lessons I learned as an administrator was that leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about removing barriers so teachers can do what they do best.
That’s servant leadership.
Yes, leaders must establish a clear vision. They create culture, build trust, and keep everyone moving in the same direction. But every decision should ultimately answer one simple question:
Will this make it easier for teachers to help students succeed?
When the answer is yes, everyone wins.
The same philosophy applies to professional learning.
In my experience, teachers have never resisted learning.
They actually love learning.
What they resist is learning that feels disconnected from the challenges they’re facing today.
When a teacher discovers a strategy they can use tomorrow morning, they’re all in.
When they find a quick solution to a problem they’ve been wrestling with for weeks, that’s professional development at its best.
When learning respects their time instead of consuming it, teachers embrace it.
That’s why I believe professional learning needs to become more flexible, more practical, and more responsive to the real lives educators are living.
Sometimes that means taking a deeper course to build expertise.
Sometimes it means spending just 20 or 30 minutes completing a guided project that solves today’s challenge before first period tomorrow.
Both have value because both respect the reality of teaching.
That’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about what we’re building at SchoolDay Academy.
We’ve created a place where educators can choose learning that fits their needs instead of forcing their needs to fit someone else’s schedule. Whether it’s a comprehensive professional certificate, a short guided project, or a course exploring the latest developments in AI, leadership, literacy, or instructional practice, the goal is always the same: provide practical learning that educators can use immediately.
I don’t believe teachers need another reminder that education is changing.
They already know.
I believe they deserve leaders who remove obstacles instead of adding them, professional learning that supports rather than overwhelms them, and resources that honor both their expertise and their time.
If that vision resonates with you, I’d love to invite you to experience SchoolDay Academy for yourself. This summer, you can explore our growing library of courses and practical guided projects through our Summer of Learning promotion for just $29 for 3 months, or start with a free 30-day trial and see how learning can feel when it’s designed around educators instead of schedules.
After 37 years devoted to education, one thing hasn’t changed for me.
When we invest in teachers in ways that truly support them, every student benefits.
And that’s still the work worth doing.