Professional Development Workshops | The Trekking Teacher

Professional Development

Helping educators build curiosity, confidence, and meaningful learning experiences through literacy, storytelling, and student voice.

With more than twenty years in education, national recognition as the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee Educator of the Year, and years of designing innovative learning experiences, I offer professional development workshops that combine practical implementation with inspiring ideas. Every session is designed to provide educators with resources, strategies, and frameworks they can begin using immediately.

Featured workshops

Workshop 01

Story Trails: A Schoolwide Literacy Framework

Teachers • Librarians • Instructional Coaches

Story Trails is an original literacy framework I created for librarians and classroom teachers that transforms a single story into a schoolwide learning experience.

Rather than teaching books in isolation, Story Trails scales one central text across multiple grade levels, creating meaningful conversations that connect students throughout an entire campus.

Participants will learn how Story Trails extend beyond literature to encourage exploration in geography, history, culture, science, and social studies while helping students make deeper connections to themselves and the world around them.

Educators will leave with a clear understanding of the Story Trails framework along with practical ideas they can begin adapting for their own schools immediately.

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Workshop 02

Running an Inclusive School Spelling Bee: From Planning to Championship Day

Teachers • Librarians • Campus Coordinators

A successful spelling bee doesn't happen by accident.

This workshop provides a complete blueprint for organizing, managing, and leading a school spelling bee from start to finish.

Participants will learn how to:

Create an organized timeline
Recruit and prepare judges and volunteers
Communicate effectively with teachers and families
Prepare students for success
Conduct a fair, engaging, and inclusive competition
Build a spelling bee culture that encourages participation and confidence

Every attendee will leave with ready-to-use resources, planning templates, organizational tools, and practical strategies they can immediately implement to launch or strengthen their own school spelling bee.

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Workshop 03

Helping Students Find Their Voice: Teaching Persuasive Speech Through Student Passion

Grades 3 to 6 Teachers • Librarians • Gifted & Talented Teachers

Students have important ideas, but many have never been taught how to communicate them effectively.

Inspired by my classroom speech project, this workshop teaches educators how to guide students through researching a social issue they genuinely care about and transforming their thinking into an original persuasive speech.

Participants will learn strategies for helping students:

Research meaningful topics
Develop persuasive arguments
Organize compelling speeches
Write with purpose
Present confidently
Use their voice to advocate for ideas that matter

The process strengthens writing, critical thinking, and public speaking while helping students discover the power of their own voice.

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Why these workshops are different

Professional learning educators actually use

Original Frameworks

Sessions built around original programs and instructional models created through years of classroom and library experience.

Practical Resources

Leave with templates, strategies, and implementation plans that can be used immediately.

National Recognition

Recipient of the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee Educator of the Year award.

Engaging Learning

Every session combines practical instruction, storytelling, and real classroom experiences to create professional learning that educators remember.

Professional development philosophy

My Approach

I believe professional development should do more than inspire. It should equip educators with practical tools while expanding the possibilities they see for their students.

Whether we're designing literacy experiences, organizing a schoolwide spelling bee, or helping students find their voice through public speaking, my goal is the same: to create learning experiences that students remember long after the lesson ends.

Bring a Workshop to Your School or Conference

Whether you're planning a district professional learning day, librarian conference, literacy event, or campus workshop, I'd love to be part of your learning experience.

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