AuburnChick's Adventures

Continuing my recounting of Observation Day…

As previously recalled, my lesson had, in my opinion, gone rather well.  I was pumped!

When I got home, I began typing the answers for my post-observation section of my appraisal form.

Oh, don’t know about this system?

Well, my school district has a very detailed, lengthy, and thorough appraisal system thanks to some changes in state laws.  I know these changes will benefit students, but oh my word.  There’s so much to do!

I’m so happy to be where I am after looking for so long that I don’t really mind.

After I finished uploading my information, I happened to notice that my principal had just finished entering his own notes.

Oh my goodness, but his comments were…

Shall we say…

Very positive?!!

I called Barb to share the good news.

She was happy for me.

Still, though, I had to wait for my face-to-face meeting with my principal, which I’d scheduled for the following day.

I was nervous.

It’s hard to hear constructive feedback, no matter how well you do on a task.

Especially for a perfectionist.

Mr. Principal was all smiles when I entered his office.

He truly has a way of putting people at ease.

Well, I found out that the smiles he was directing my way were the result of his being pleased with my lesson the day before.

We went through each of his comments, and he provided additional feedback.

He was extremely happy with the way I’d handled a student’s refusal to perform the role he’d randomly selected.  I had not given in but had allowed the situation to work itself out (another student offered to switch with this one).

Mr. Principal had also commented about how I’d subtly given the request to desist when students were becoming unruly.

Most notably, though, were his comments regarding my students’ self assessment.

Any time students assess themselves, they are using higher order thinking skills.  Making judgements and justifying them is a lot more difficult than recalling memorized information.

Mr. Principal also explained that my strength is in the rapport I have with my students.  He said that the students trust me.

Oh, this was music to my ears.  I’ve worked very hard in this area, believing that I will not effectively teach a student if I can’t reach that student personally.

He also told me that he’d remembered my angst about writing my students up at the beginning of the year.  He further explained that it was my consistency that paid off in the end because students knew they could trust that I would keep my word and hold them accountable for their actions.

Yes, it was a great meeting.

I left his office with a huge smile on my face.

I don’t think my feet even touched the ground as I made my way to Barb’s office to share the feedback he’d given me.

She’s a huge reason why I got that feedback.

She’s been mentoring me for the last couple of years, but more so this year.  She’s been a steady presence in my class, modeling good teaching practices, talking me through my lesson planning, and challenging me to put the kids in the drivers’ seat of their learning.  She’s often reminded me, gently, to do less talking so the kids don’t zone out (not her words but mine).

My students adore her, as do I.

I’m grateful for the other teachers I work with.  These teachers, who have so much more experience than I do, constantly share their ideas and help me fill in the gaps when I feel like I’m coming up short.  They encourage me and sometimes even remind me that I’m not the only one feeling overwhelmed.

Humbling?

Yes.

What I need to hear?

You bet.

I’m grateful for my students who can be very forgiving.  I’ve had a few bad moments where I’ve lost my patience.  They’ve forgiven that.  I’ve eaten crow more than a few times this year.  They’ve accepted that.  They’ve accepted the lessons that have fallen flat.  They’ve cheered on the lessons that made class fly by.  Though they sometimes have led me to cry, their victories have turned those tears to laughter and joy.  THEY are what teaching is all about!

Most of all, I’m grateful to my Heavenly Father who constantly reminds me that I can rely on Him to be my strong foundation…especially when He’s called me to a task that I think I can’t do.

I’m thankful for these observations.  Though they are a bit of a pain, they truly are part of the refining process.  It’s a process that will change me from being a ho-hum teacher to a GREAT teacher.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: teaching |