Executing A Professional Development Plan - Having Enough Time In The Day

When we were told that we had to create a professional development plan for this course I panicked. I really felt like I was going to completely bum this assignment. I knew what professional developments were needed from talking to the teachers on my campus and conducting the needs assessment, but I did not know how I was going to follow through with actually presenting the information. My main concern was getting teachers interested in coming and then having activities that would be beneficial to them as well as interesting. I know how teachers dread professional development sessions, because they are usually lecture based and terribly boring. Much to my surprise the teachers were really interested in receiving the training and gave me insight on what they really wanted to learn about. I designed the plan based on what they wanted to learn and provided opportunities for hands-on practice and open dialogue. So far the sessions have gone well. They are still a work in progress I may get the opportunity to squeeze another one in before the break (after I meet all of my assignment deadlines and prepare for finals.)
The biggest issue in the school day is time. I struggled trying to figure out when I could conduct my sessions. Every available time slot in the day is filled with grade level meetings with administration, after school meetings, after school tutoring, and mandatory after school professional development. To even think about getting anyone to come before school would be ludicrous. So I had to work really hard at finding the time in the day. It got very frustrating, because a few of the days that I had planned to conduct my sessions we ended up having unexpected meetings.
Professional development is necessary for teachers growth, but there is so many limitations on time. After talking to a friend at another campus she stated that her school had extended planning sessions one day a week for each grade level. The teachers actually have a 90 minute block weekly to meet. This would be a perfect opportunity to conduct training sessions. I have presented this idea to administration for next year so we will see how it turns out. This type of initiative takes team work, because the specials teachers would have each grade level twice a day. Hopefully everyone gets on board and this can be successful on our campus as well.