Hello? Who's There??

I always feel like ... .somebody’s…watching meeeeee. Oh wait, they are, because I invited them into my classroom to rate me as to how well I teach, create a climate for learning, individualize instruction, follow district and state protocols, and just make school “fun” for even the most challenging of attitudes in my classroom.

Welcome to the Show

I was never really a person who cared about being observed. Yes, there were times when I “put on a show” (I even once bribed my students the day before), but that feeling of angst and paranoia didn’t last long when I first began teaching. I guess I should say that I am lucky that it didn’t. I know that many a teacher, even 30 years into their careers, totally lose their shit when they are in the process of getting an observation. Why is that? Why do we need to be “perfect” or “of the highest quality” when it comes to our administration observing us? It's not a practical mindset for anyone within education. Every single day, the group of students we are delivered are not the same group of students who were in class yesterday. Of course the names, faces, and even sometimes the clothes, are the same, but moods, mindsets, priorities, peer interaction, family interaction, etc. can change any student. Thus, if one student is “different” then the whole group is collectively different. There is nothing perfect about the grouping of students we teach, so why sacrifice our mental and professional well-being in trying to be perfect for our administrators?

Ya'll Talkin Bout Practice!?

I can hear some of you now; “meet the students where they are each and every day to create meaningful and transformative relationships and learning opportunities”... or something along those lines. Yes, you are correct. Anything related to that thought process is correct, and I also strive to do this each and every day. We aren’t striving to be something we are not here; we are using our training, our experience, and our heart to provide lessons for our kids that open eyes, minds, and their hearts while they learn something along the way. That is what I believe an observation should entail, and if you purposefully and wholeheartedly push for that every day that you can, you should never worry about who is walking through your door to watch. Take it a step further and invite them in on a regular basis. Not only will they see how wonderful of an educator you are, but you’re also making (and even biasing) them into making predetermined decisions about your observation even before you are formally observed. All of what they see will push them into scoring you more favorably compared to an educator who has never gone out of their way to invite someone from the administrator team into one of their lessons. If you don’t believe me, try it. Observational domains aside, I am not your administrator, your mentor, nor your spouse, but I do know that practice makes perfect, so why not... practice.

Do you have a story to tell? Tell it!...or at least let me tell it. Reach out to any one of my platforms to expose your experience(s), your truth, as both a human and an educator. I would love to hear from you!