CPD: The Endless Cycle of “Learning to Learn”
I’ve lost count of how many CPD articles I’ve seen lately.
Apparently, teachers must now learn how to learn, learn what to learn, and occasionally learn why we’re learning what we’re learning — all while learning to reflect on the learning we’ve just learned.
Don’t get me wrong — professional development is important. But it feels like we’ve entered an age where CPD has become a kind of competitive sport.
“Look at my bespoke pedagogical reflection framework!”
“Oh, you still use the four part lesson? How quaint.”
Half the time, I wonder if anyone in the private sector spends this much energy being told what they should be learning.
Do They Have CPD in the Real World?
Do people in the private sector sit in meeting rooms on a Friday afternoon, PowerPoint slide glowing, being told how to “embed a culture of metacognitive autonomy”?
Do accountants have “Termly Reflection on Spreadsheet Efficacy”?
Do plumbers get an INSET day on “Mastering Adaptive Pipework”?
I’m not convinced they do.
And maybe that’s because they’re trusted — trusted to identify what they need to develop, trusted to do their job, and trusted not to spend an entire afternoon being shown a video about “growth mindset in the workplace.”
Meanwhile, teachers — highly educated professionals who somehow hold the nation’s future together with glue sticks and caffeine — are given two hours on “effective plenaries.”
We’re constantly being told how to improve, even when what we really need is a nap, a biscuit, or a moment to think for ourselves.
The Great Perk Divide
It’s funny, though.
Every time I scroll through social media, I see the private sector complaining about how much time off teachers get.
“Oh, must be nice having six weeks off in summer!”
Yes. It is nice. It’s also the only time we’re not running on adrenaline and caffeine.
But then, on the other hand, I hear teachers moaning about the private sector’s perks.
They get bonuses, lunches, gym memberships, and company-funded ski trips.
Ski trips! We can barely get approval for a school trip to the local museum without filling out three risk assessments, a staff declaration form, and a blood oath.
They get to drink wine at lunch on a Friday — we get to drink tepid coffee out of a “World’s Okayest Teacher” mug while marking Year 9 homework that looks like it was written by someone in a moving car.
So who’s really winning here?
Time or Treats?
Maybe that’s the ultimate question: would you rather have more time off, or more perks while you’re there?
Private sector: “We got a team-building day in the Alps!”
Teachers: “We got a stapler that actually works.”
Private sector: “My boss gave me a bottle of wine for hitting my targets!”
Teachers: “My boss gave me an A3 laminated version of our school’s new vision statement.”
The grass always looks greener — until you realise both lawns are full of weeds, meetings, and people pretending to understand spreadsheets.
At the end of the day, teaching will always be its own strange ecosystem — one where we talk endlessly about learning, reflection, and growth, but rarely get the space to do any of it properly.
Maybe that’s why CPD feels so tiring.
It’s not that we don’t want to learn — it’s that we want to choose what matters to us instead of being told what the latest acronym demands.
So yes, maybe the private sector does get better perks. But we get something far rarer: the joy of collapsing into the summer holidays like a zombie who’s just seen daylight.
And honestly? You can keep your skiing trips.
Just give me a working photocopier, a hot brew, and a week without someone saying “let’s unpick the learning.”
That’s my kind of professional development.
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