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We’re delighted to welcome Anita Benčec Nikolovski, Editor at Alfa Publishing and Express Publishing’s partner in Croatia, as a guest contributor to Teacher’s Corner. In this personal reflection, Anita shares honest thoughts on CPD, motivation, and the subtle ways we miss opportunities for both professional and personal growth.
Over the past few days, I have been reflecting on how to invite you to one of the major ELT events of this year – EP Summit 2026, organised by our partner, Express Publishing.
I am very aware of how easily such events can pass unnoticed. Not because they are not important, but because we often do not stop long enough to consider what they truly offer us – and to ask ourselves a simple question: What’s in it for me?
We are surrounded by buzzwords: AI, wellbeing, CPD, critical thinking, sustainability, mindfulness. At some point, we grow tired of them – almost allergic to them. Continuous Professional Development is no longer just a formal requirement; it is slowly becoming a question of survival in our profession.
And yet, despite this, we continue to miss opportunities, often without even realising it.
We live in a time of abundance – information, webinars, conferences, online courses. Everything is available, everywhere, all the time. And yet, in this vast forest of content, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the one tree that truly matters to us personally: the one that offers quality, emotion, inspiration, and leads us towards real understanding, real growth, and mastery.
Problems with reading and listening with understanding are no longer limited to our students. Our own attention span is shrinking, and critical thinking – even among adults – is becoming increasingly fragile.
Combined with professional pressure and everyday challenges, this often leads us, quietly and almost unnoticed, to a dangerous place: we slowly lose the desire to learn, to grow, to go beyond what we simply have to do.
We tell ourselves we would like to learn more, but we do not have time. We postpone learning for “when things calm down”. We hesitate because of money. We convince ourselves that we already know what we need to know.
And so time passes, and opportunities quietly disappear.
There is another trap as well. After attending a few webinars, conferences, or workshops, we start thinking: “I already know this”, “I do this in my classroom”, “There is nothing new here.”
When we see international speakers, we think: “They don’t know our system.” When we see academics, we think: “They don’t know what it’s like in the classroom.” The most dangerous combination is believing both that we know enough and that we have no time.
In the chaos of everyday life, it becomes incredibly easy to consistently miss opportunities for personal and professional growth. And yet, personal and professional growth may, in fact, be the same thing – because there is no professional growth without personal growth.
Think of how often you almost cancel a family gathering or a meeting with friends because you feel tired or busy. And then you go – and afterwards you find yourself thinking: This is exactly what I needed.
Now place that feeling in the context of professional development.
When was the last time you attended an event – online or face-to-face – simply because you had to, only to be positively surprised?
Try to remember one truly powerful learning experience. Why did it stay with you? On which level did it affect you? Did it remind you of your student days, of your love for literature, music, or performing?
Those moments – the emotions and reflections they bring – are the true reason why we must keep giving learning a chance.
Because you never know whom you will meet. You never know who will inspire you. You never know who will remind you why you chose this profession in the first place.
And this brings me back to EP Summit 2026 – and why I truly believe it deserves your attention.
Download the complete EP Summit schedule.
My colleagues have done an extraordinary job in securing outstanding speakers and highly relevant topics, both professionally and personally, led by people who are not always easily accessible to us.
Would anyone normally attend twelve webinars in three days? Perhaps not. But this is where recordings matter. They are invaluable, allowing us to engage with the content at our own pace.
And finally, perhaps the most important question is not what else we still need to learn – but what we may have forgotten along the way. Sometimes, all it takes is one meaningful experience to help us remember.
Book your EP Summit ticket, today!
