adding visuals

I'm beginning to think that my program director has a vendetta against me. Last month's professional development I was relegated to Tracking Data 101 with the first years who were too swamped with surviving each day to figure out what to teach their students. Not that I'm the most amazing teacher, but I've progressed beyond that point. This month I'm assigned to go to a class whose purpose is "how to incorporate visuals into your lessons." I'm supposed to bring in a lesson that I want to improve by adding visuals. Visuals? Into my lessons? Let's think about this. I teach 4- and 5- year olds. Would it be more effective to teach them about apples by showing them an apple or by bringing in a picture of an apple? All my teaching is done with objects. I teach math by using little dinosaurs and sharks and tiny people whose arms and legs move (a little). I teach science by letting them dig around in the dirt and plant seeds as make sand castles. Literacy is composed of stringing letters onto necklaces to make their names. I've been teaching all about construction for the last three weeks. Should I really take the toy saws, drills, screws, nails, levels, screwdrivers, hammers, blueprints, hardhats, dumptrucks, cranes, rollers, bulldozers, etc., out of the dramatic play center and post pictures of various tools and trucks? Honestly. I don't think adding visuals to my lessons is going to improve my instruction. I've already made all the visuals I need. If they really want to help improve instruction, they could improve the manipulatives. Some of my rhyming objects (tree, bee; mouse, house) have gone missing; the cash from the cash register is getting a little torn up; and one student was fixing the wooden stop light with such energy that the claw separated from the handle of the hammer. My students are also fascinated with jackhammers - maybe because it's so fun to vibrate your entire body and add the sound effects - it would be nice to get something like that from a professional development. But really. Adding visuals to my lesson plans? What are they thinking? Maybe the Tracking Data 102 class was already full.