The Black and White

by Bridget Pouliot

Have you ever wondered what your teachers do over the summer? Elementary school students have long lived with the idea – a myth, per se – that teachers live in the school building since they don’t see them anywhere but there. As we grow, we learn that this is not the case. But if they aren’t spending the entire summer at school, what do teachers do over the summer?

All teachers are required to complete a certain number of professional development (PD) hours each academic year. This used to be why there were seemingly “random” days off each school year. However, for the 2025-2026 calendar, there are no designated PD days. This means teachers now have to complete their professional development hours outside of school hours, and what better time to do it than over the summer?

Even if they did not get their professional development hours in over the summer, oftentimes, there are many things teachers do that they will bring back to school with them in September! Whether that be visiting a museum or traveling to a new country, the stories and experiences they gained often provide them with more than just joy.

Below are just a few examples of what Pilgrim’s teacher did during the summer of 2025.

When Disney Magic Meets Education (Mrs. Rix)

The magic of The Mouse and the magic of educators meets in the Disney Imagination Educational Leadership Professional Development. A free, online program, Mrs. Rix explained how it gave her the “skills and knowledge to create a more supportive, engaging, and effective learning environment that will empower my high school students to reach their full potential.”

The program website details its focus on teaching how to create a positive and effective work environment. It accomplishes this through hands-on activities, problem-solving scenarios, and interactive workshops, explaining how it’s centered on Disney’s Five keys of excellence (Safety, Courtesy, Efficiency, Show, and Inclusion).¹

Expressing that she would recommend this to other teachers, Mrs. Rix said, “My summer training has broadened my perspective on global and educational issues, inspiring me to teach with a more empathetic and forward-thinking approach that prepares my students to thrive in a diverse and ever-changing world.”

The Science Behind Teaching Physics (Mr. Marrese)

Any teacher will tell you that part of being an effective educator is continuing to grow and learn. Over the summer, Mr. Marrese attended a three-day physics symposium with a group of Rhode Island physics teachers and professors from Rhode Island College. They discussed the best practices and ideas to not only get high school students interested in physics, but also how to get them ready for college-level physics.

“Teachers in different districts deal with a wide variety of challenges that include administrative pressures, limitations on what equipment they have available, and challenges presented by the variety of students in their classes,” Mr. Marrese explained. “So having an extensive “playbook” for how to teach the subject area is very beneficial.”

Mr. Marrese explained that he was able to incorporate some ideas from the symposium into his teaching this year. He said that he would recommend teachers make connections with educators from other schools in their content areas, describing how it was good to “network” with teachers from other districts to share their experiences. “I would also recommend that high school teachers (especially teachers of 11th and 12th graders) connect with college professors to talk about best practices and how to prepare high schoolers for success after high school.”

Learning and Teaching Diversity in Writing (Mrs. Parente)

Similar to the EEP class she teaches here at Pilgrim, Mrs. Parente’s summer involved teaching an “Introduction to College Writing” course for the Talent Development program at the University of Rhode Island. “I feel that the experience of teaching on the URI campus greatly enhanced my level of comfort and excitement about teaching WRT 104 and ENG 110 here at Pilgrim,” she expressed.

Mrs. Parente explained that the course was designed for the Talent Development program at URI, which is a 58-year-old project to give opportunities to marginalized groups of students and ensure they are heard. She stated that this program “allowed me to broaden my perspective on how I can best serve my students who come from diverse backgrounds.”

For the program, Mrs. Parente worked with 17 students on a course that focused on “language diversity and equity”. She said that not only did the content “open her eyes to the ways in which we can embrace and celebrate language diversity in the classroom”, but she was also extremely impressed and inspired by the students she worked with. 

Chemistry in New England Conference (Mrs. Bizragane)

For many students, presenting is absolutely terrifying, and they cannot wait to never have to do it again once they leave high school. For Mrs. Bizragane, who got the incredible opportunity to present at the New England Association of Chemistry Teachers Annual Conference, presenting was an exciting way to share her best practices in chemistry education with teachers from around the country.

Mrs. Bizragane explained how, at the conference, she had a “great discussion about how to tackle student misconceptions”. She also got positive feedback from the group of teachers who attended her session.

When asked if she would recommend this experience to other teachers, Mrs. Bizragane said yes! “The NEACT is a great resource for chemistry teachers in New England,” she expressed.

Taking World Travel to the Classroom (Mrs. Casey)

Many classes at Pilgrim take a look into cultures, beliefs, and ideals in different parts of the world. Pilgrim students even have opportunities to visit some of these places on trips. However, some teachers visit different countries and take the experience back with them to the classroom.

Mrs. Casey visited Azores, Portugal over the summer. Not only was this a great experience for her – she expressed how much she “HIGHLY recommends world travel” – but it goes hand-in-hand with the world tourism project her students are working on in school!

Mrs. Casey explained, “This has opened my eyes to the importance of learning about a variety of cultures and how people all over the world all have the same wants and needs, and how acceptance, respect, and inclusion are of major importance.” 

Learning about Genocide in Poland (Dr. Xiarhos) 

Dr. Xiarhos’s Genocide and Holocaust Studies is one of the most popular electives at Pilgrim High School. He does a lot with this class, like visiting museums in New York City, such as the Anne Frank exhibit in Manhattan, and talking to holocaust survivors. It is an increasingly important topic, especially with the history we are experiencing today.

This summer, Dr. Xiarhos had a fellowship through Yad Vashem and the ADL where he traveled to Poland to not only visit, but also study, four of the Nazi Death Camps. When asked how this trip impacted how he will teach the class, he talked about “focusing more on the individual stories of people.

One takeaway from Dr. Xiarhos’ trip was that, “Genocide doesn’t “happen – rather, it is an intentional act, a choice, of those with power against those without.”

Teaching Kids to Love to Learn and Write (Mr. Lawton)

This summer, Mr. Lawton not only directed and taught at a creative writing camp at Rhode Island College, but he also engaged in the Open Air Institute professional development with Rhode Island Writing Project. Both of these programs are ones he has worked with before. 

Calling it a “highlight” of his summer, he described how the Open Air Institute took the participants to three historical places in Rhode Island to learn about that site’s history and then have them write something based off of a prompt related to the location. “The writing camp,” he explained, “allows me to do a lot of fun, creative activities that I don’t always get to do in the curriculum.”

Not only does Mr. Lawton say he would recommend these activities for other teachers who are looking for engaging ways to complete their required hours, but he says he uses what he learns and the activities he partakes in to enhance his class when he returns to school.

“The Open Air Institute reminds me that PD doesn’t have to be boring and data driven, but can be learning for learning’s sake!” Mr. Lawton expressed.