I asked the above question at a consultation meeting between the union and the administration. The Principal seemed to think it was the way to tell which teachers were working and which teachers weren't. I disagreed then and I disagree now.
Admins should walk around and see what is going on, but, they can see this from the hallways. After all, all the rooms have windows for them to look through. And, if there is a problem, or something going on that doesn't look right, they should make an appearance. A good administrator should be able to tell what is going on without resorting to the grand entrance with the electronic gadget in hand, unless of course, the goal is to make the teacher uncomfortable. In that case, the administrator has been successful. In addition, if visits occur often, why is this one day so necessary?
It is rough being a teacher. No one likes being observed, ever but everyone knows it is a necessary part of the job. I just can't understand what is accomplished when these observations are done on the most difficult days of the term. What happened to compassion and heart?
3 comments:
Mostly because many of these admin act due to retaliation. I know 1 admin who does all that you have mentioned in this blog post only for retaliation purposes (regardless of how trivial the issue is for tenured or probationary).
The tin man is smiling, but don't you see the ax in his hands?
My admin likes to observe everyone before breaks/holidays. I was observed on the day I was chaperoning an overnight field trip and because of that was the first time I was dressed casually and in a tee. The second observation came the day of Christmas break during the last class. My final observation came on Friday - the day before spring break.
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