The Back Door Opens



When I began my teaching career observations occurred three times a semester and they were always unannounced.  I taught in a dangerous school and we had to keep our doors locked (you never knew what a hall walker would decide to toss in a room) so, when we heard the turning of the key in the back door, we knew something was up.

I remember hating those observations, but, in retrospect, they were really the best.  My AP saw what I did on regular basis, not some random show I was putting on for her benefit.  And, while there were certain things she looked for and expected, I knew what these were and did my best to do them in every lesson.  Oh, Danielson hadn't written her framework and for all I know, she might not have even been born then, but this AP and her observations taught us all to be good teachers.  Even with the lowest level students, she insisted on mathematically  precise language (my former AP said he wasn't impressed with "fancy" words and wanted us to use baby words the kids could understand.)  She taught discipline and she helped with curriculum.  She knew who was good at their job and who was not and didn't need standardized tests to form her opinion. 

The best part of the unannounced observations was no sleepless night or extra long preparation the night before.  They weren't so bad at all.  And, unlike the observations of today, these were designed to help, not hurt.  The comments in the 3 - 5 page report were insightful and led to better teaching.  A special ed AP recently told her department that the new evaluations would help her get rid of teachers she did not like.  Since she is incompetent herself, she wouldn't know a good teacher if she observed one and if she did, she would not want him around and now she would could be as clueless as ever and just follow a meaningless rubic.  It is back door to the rescue of the AP.

(Picture from The Art Of The Brick--a Lego exhibit at Discovery times Square by Nathan Sawaya--amazing what this guy can do with Legos.  It is a good thing Danielson wasn't around when he went to school or his creativity might have been stifled.)

 

Danielson Purpose

 



Many years ago a Principal told me the reason APs find so many things that need improvement during an observation is to justify their existence.   A part of their review at the end of the year had to show what they did to help their teachers and to improve instruction.  He told me he knew I was a good teacher and not to worry aobut what she had written.  (The lesson was satisfactory and that was all I worried about-that and the kids understanding it.)

Things are different today.  The job of the AP is to rid the school of senior teachers and to deny tenure to as many as possible.  They can't improve education because they know little to nothing about the subjects they are in charge of.  They have minimal teaching experience,  often not in the subject they are in charge of (for example, the special ed supervisor at Packemin taught math before she got her job.)  I caught two math APs making major math mistakes and I remember an AP calculus student asking if the AP who had just observed our class knew any math.  He didn't.

Everyone is worried about he Danielson Framework, and I don't blame them.  This plan is just a way for incompetent administrators to justify getting rid of competent teachers.  The stuff in this plan is nothing new, it is stuff I did 30 years ago. 

If anyone really cared about improving education, they would start with hiring administrators who know their subjects and know a thing or two about teaching.  When I look at the admins at Packemin, I think about the teachers you would see on tv--young, pretty and clueless.

(Pictured above is an AP in training.)

Class Participation

...She was uncomfortable with what the professors called "participation," and did not see why it should be part of the final grade; it merely made students talk and talk, class time wasted on obvious words, hollow words, sometimes meaningless words.  It had to be Americans were taught, from elementary school, to say something in class, no matter what.
 

The above paragraph comes from Americanah, by Chimanda Ngozi Adichi.  This was written as an observation by Ifemelu begins her university education in the United States.  I thought it particularly relevant to today's standards which judge a teacher unsatisfactory when not every student in class has spoken during the lesson.

BTW--it is a wonderful book, gives a good understanding of what immigrants must go through in their adopted countries and why they do so.  It is heart wrenching to read about college graduates cleaning toilets, breathing poisonous air, being cheated and putting up with it all in hopes of a better life in the future.

Danielson Framework For Teaching

Being retired, I had zero interest in learning anything about the Danielson Framework.  To me, it is just another BS system probably put together by and edu-idiot who has absolutely no idea what goes on in a classroom.  But, when it took up a full page in last month's UFT paper, I gave it a look.

From what I can see, this framework is no different than anything good teachers have been doing for years.  Only now, it has a fancy name and someone has gotten a lot of notoriety and money.

For this post, I will focus on Domain 1.

Domain 1: Planning and Preparation

1a Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy

1b Demonstrating Knowledge of Students

1c Setting Instructional Outcomes

1d Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources

1e Desingning Coherent Instruction

1f  Designing Student Assessments

If teachers are expected to excel at all of the above, their supervisors should be masters at this stuff as well.  After all, they are in place to make sure students are getting the best education possible.  Supervisors with little to know experience and expertise in the area they are in charge of cannot do any of the above.