Three Days. Over 650 Teachers. One Summit.
The School District of Lee County believes its teachers deserve time and space to grow. This summer, for the first time, the district transformed professional development into a full three-day summit experience, fully funded through a generous grant that made immersive, focused learning possible for more than 650 educators from across the district.
The theme was the climb. Whether navigating the complex topography of IEPs, scaling the cliffs of behavioral escalation, or using new digital tools to scout the path ahead, every session was designed to make the climb more manageable for teachers and their students.
The response from educators said it all.
"This whole week has been great," wrote a teacher from Lehigh Acres Middle School. "The session on understanding behavior and trauma made me reflect on the way I need to interact with students and my own behavior in the classroom."
For many, the Summit didn't just introduce new strategies. It reaffirmed why they teach.
"This Summit provided me with so much valuable insight and strategies that I will carry with me for years to come," shared a teacher from Tropic Isles Elementary. "Thank you for providing us with these learning opportunities and for supporting the growth of educators."
Teachers left with practical tools and a renewed sense of purpose. A teacher from River Hall Elementary captured a perspective that threaded through the entire three days: "I will remember that all students have circumstances they either leave from or go home to. They need understanding, compassion, and patience from their teachers. Everyone needs someone they can rely on."
Sessions on trauma-informed practices, dyslexia, behavioral strategies, AI-assisted instruction, and IEP navigation drew packed rooms and passionate feedback.
"The sessions really opened my eyes to how challenging behavior stems from an emotion that is often not solved by direct consequence," wrote a teacher from Challenger Middle. "GREAT CONFERENCE. Thank you."
A teacher from Island Coast High School put into words what the climb really asks of educators: "I could be the one safe space for the kids, and I need to constantly be aware of that in order to be an effective educator."
For first-timers with new tools and veterans rediscovering their footing, the Summit met teachers where they were. Dylan Biever of Veterans Park Academy for the Arts summed up what many felt walking out: "Thank you for a great Summit!"
The School District of Lee County is grateful to the grant that made this experience possible, and to the more than 650 educators who showed up ready to climb.