“Aloha, I first met Dave Dunaway as a fellow teacher at a Middle School while teaching SPED. I completed my Master’s Degree in Special Education then eventually moved on to a private educational institution. Needing continuing education graduate level professional development credits, I looked around for what my new colleagues were taking. Many of them were excited to share Joe Loverde and Dave Dunaway’s Loverde classes. The professional development classes worked with the needs of the teachers- both in content and time. Teachers are busy, and these in-person classes were on the weekends, during teaching breaks, and during the summers. We experienced a diverse, high-energy, and inclusive environment developing powerful pedagogies to improve learning outcomes. Class content encouraged enriching learning experiences to enhance student engagement, technology integration and innovation, utilize data, and directly impact teacher efficacy and student learning outcomes. I learned from the years of experience of Joe and Dave, as well as from the vast knowledge of cohort educators around me. I felt supported and validated as an educational professional in these classes. The required portfolios we created provided evidence of what we were learning and discussing in person at the Loverde classes, then how we delivered instruction to students using the knowledge we gained, and finally how we evaluated, documented, improved, and reflected on the learning designs in our classrooms. These classes were taught with authentic engagement and reinforcement of teachers from beginning to end. The Professional Development credits directly and immediately helped to improve my professional practice and, just as my colleagues did for me, I will continue to share and encourage others to attend these valuable classes as tools of continuous professional development and teacher support.” Kamehameha Kapālama High School Speech Department Chair
