Accountability

Teachers are to be observed at least once a year by their administrators. They are allowed to be in our room whenever they choose, but observations can only happen between the 3rd week of school and the beginning of April. I've been at two different schools and its been the same at both. They wait until a week before the observations are due and then cram all of them in. If you have only been teaching for 3 years or less, then the observation must be for a minimum of 45 minutes. If you've been teaching longer, then the minimum is vastly shortened to only 15 minutes. (She walked in today at 10:00 and out at 10:15.) Mind you, they can stay as long as they want no matter how long you've taught, but those are the minimums. All of this is a part of keeping teachers accountable. (Of course, it would be helpful to hear it at the beginning of the year so changes can be made...but I digress.)

I like feedback. We all like to be told we're doing well, but I really like to hear both sides. What are some things I can work on? What am I doing well that she wants to share with others? What are some things I'm doing that I may not be aware of? I meet with my administrator and go over her observational notes of the lesson she observed. There are several domains we're "graded" on with Excellent being the top, then Proficient, Satisfactory, and Unacceptable. We have to score at least proficient on all the domains or we go on probation. In that case, we go over our lesson plans every week, meet a lot more often, the administrator is in the classroom more often, etc.

I say I like it, and I do. But there's no stopping the butterfly feelings in my stomach when she walks in. No matter what I'm doing, I always feel as if I'm a bug under a microscope and need to begin performing.