Post Observation Conference

The teacher was observed, rated ineffective of course.  She had a conference with her supervisor and this is what occurred.

What Happens In A Certain NYC HS on Snow Days

E-mail from a teacher.  I am so glad to be away from this nonsense/

The APs  and Principal walked around on Thursday during the snow storm to see who was teaching.  Rumor is from now on teachers will formally be observed since they are entitled to at least 6 pop ins as part of the new evaluation system.  Then you ask why I am going.  It pays to fight the snow, parking and then be harrassed.  Also I wonder if a teacher has a coverage if that teacher can be observed, probably. Memo:

Instruction on a snow day 28Q505 | 2/13/2014 1:08:53 PM On a snow stricken day with a little over 800 students in the building, what should be happening in the classroom?  Choose the best possible answer. _____       a. One on one time can be utilized with students that are still struggling with skill deficits. _____       b. Combining classes to promote data-driven tutoring across disciplines so that students can take advantage of the brain bank of one room. _____       c. "Office Hours" type discussions with students about their goals, College aspirations, scholarship writing and or vocabulary words and key concepts found in exams like the S.A.T and A.C.T _____       d. All of the above     Thank you for your efforts in making sure that whether there are two students or 34 students that instruction is still being capitalized.  Respectfully submitted, Instructional Core Team

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.)

 

15 Minutes

Years ago, a Principal told me that the AP must write things like barely satisfactory and minimally satisfactory in an observation report so that the final one could show improvement and the AP could justify his job as a teacher mentor.  I resented that at the time and thought it was a pretty crappy thing to do.

In retrospect, maybe it wasn't so bad.  No one lost their jobs or even were threatened with an ineffective or "U" rating.  The only thing bruised were egos and, in truth, many of the recommendations were right on target.  They came from a full period observation done by a person that knew curriculum and had teaching skills.

Today's 15 minute observations do nothing.  There is no insight into how the lesson was developed.  There is no way to see how it flowed from the motivation, to the meat and then to the summary.  There is no way 15 minutes can show what has gone on in the class.  Often the person doing the observing is not even a very good teacher or has expertise in the subject.  There is no way a teacher can get help or even complimented on what they have done.

The 15 minute observation allows the observer to move quickly from room to room.  After all, six observations per teacher per year takes lots of time, time not available if a full period was spent in every class being watched.

It makes me sick thinking about a union that would sign off on a policy like this, a policy that makes it easy to get rid of anyone the administration does not like, a policy that will hurt kids like the one pictured above.  It makes me embarrassed to say I am a UFT member.

Handling An Administrator



Writing about Mr. Bob reminded me of my first observation from Mrs. Oola.  Although it was satisfactory, she didn't have much good to say.  Even back then, new to the department (not new to teaching) I knew I had to do something or the rest of my tenure at Packemin was not going to be easy.

I listened to her comments during our post observation conference and then asked if I could observe her since she was teaching the same prep during one of my free periods.  She stammered a little but had to say yes, after all, she was the master teacher, the one hired to make us all better teachers.  I knew the class she was teaching was a difficult group and making her as uncomfortable as possible was my goal.  I told her I looked forward to learning from her and meeting again after the observation.

Several days later, unannounced, I walked in and sat in the back.  I brought a big yellow pad and as she taught, I wrote.  Every time she looked at me, my head and pen went down.  Mostly I was doodling, but she didn't know that.  I watched the little beads of sweat forming over her eye brows and laughed inside.  When the bell rang, I thanked her and left.  I told her I looked forward to discussing the lesson with her.

Long story short, the post observation conference never happened.  Mrs. Oola never brought up the class and neither did I.  She also never had a negative word to say to me again.

Who Would Have Thought This Could Be A Good Experience?



What a pleasure--being observed by someone who actually knows math and knows how to teach.

The lesson went well, but there were some very valid points made by the observer and I learned a lot from his comments.

There was no "gotcha."  When he explained how he would have presented something differently than I did, I was able to explain why I did things my way and he listened. Even when he didn't necessarily agree, he got my reasons.  I also saw his point and will definitely try things his way next time.

There was no comment about the boy who fell asleep or the girl whose cell phone I took.  I didn't get reprimanded because a student walked in late and mostly I didn't get accused of not knowing my students because several did not volunteer answers during class.  The blinds were not even and the observer did not say a word.  And, the paper on the floor wasn't my fault either.  The observation focused on what I taught, and what the kids learned.

I didn't mind the criticisms because I gained from this observation and in the long run, that is all that matters.. 

Now Try Doing That Every Day

The observation by the Quality Review people reminded me of the only other time I was observed by multiple people. Since I still have no confidence in what happened this time, I'll relive the past one. (I've been told this one went well, but I can't figure out why it did.)

When I first started at Packemin HS, I was assigned to teach math in the special education department. My former school had lots of remedial classes and I really liked those kids. I didn't think the special education kids could be much lower functioning and I wasn't wrong.

Although I was not a new teacher, I was fairly new to this building when the coordinator of the department came to me and said, "Ms. POd, on Friday there will be 10 supervisors from around the city here to observe your class." I almost wet my pants. Not only did I hate being observed, I was not around that long and I had no special education training. I tried to plead my way out. "No, she said. Don't worry. This will not affect you at all." It was easy for her to say and impossible for me to believe.

I told the kids what was going to happen. I emphasized that they were not being observed. Some of these kids were ultra sensitive and I did not want to put any pressure on them. I said, just be yourselves only try to do it without talking so much."

The big day came. The supervisors crowded into the room. I taught and survived the 40 minute class. I don't know what these guys thought because true to my supervisor's word, no one spoke to me about it. The big thing I remember from the day is that as everyone was leaving, one of the wise guys in the class threw his arms around me and said

"Great job Ms. POd, now try doing that every day."

He smiled as he walked out the door. I know the supervisors heard this. At least one of them snickered. I know I turned bright red and wanted to fall through the floor. I still wonder if they think the comment was true.

Stay tuned, I am eventually going to get the courage to publish what I wrote about the Quality Review. Writing about this one took me over twenty years. Hopefully that one will happen sooner.

Snapshots

My sister in law was the most beautiful bride ever.

Yet, every snapshot taken of her made her look like this:

Snapshots observations do the same thing to teachers.

Nothing Matters But The Paper In Hand

Mrs. M was a very good teacher, but a bit unconventional. One day Principal Gotcha decided to pay Mrs. M a surprise visit.

The lesson went well. Mrs. M really knew her stuff and she knew how to keep her class involved and learning. But, Mrs. M did not have that one thing Principal Gotcha wanted more than anything else, a written lesson plan.

Mrs. M was quick on her feet. At the end of the lesson she scurried to the ladies lounge, claiming an excruciating stomach ache. Principal Gotcha, being male, could not follow her inside. Mrs. M immediately sat down, wrote out the details of her lesson and emerged ten minutes later, paper in hand.

Principal Gotcha turned red, accepted the plan and begrudgingly gave Mrs. M the satisfactory rating she well deserved.

Principal Gotcha has been retired for many years. So has Mrs. M. How many new Principal Gotcha's are out there now? We can only pray that there are lots more Mrs. M's to keep them on their toes.

Gotcha

A principal and five asistant principals walk into a classroom to observe a poor, unsuspecting teacher. Do they expect the class to be normal? Do they expect that the teacher will not be unnerved and and still do a very good job? Do they think it will be business as usual as far as the students are concerned? Or, are they looking to play gotcha?

Things are different at the college level. J is teaching at the community college I where I teach. The school was desperate for math teachers in September and when the chairman called and asked if I knew anyone who wanted to work, I thought of J immediately.

J retired from Packemin HS for a number of reasons. Here I'll just say it was her age. She was tired of working full time. J was not ready to sit home and jumped at a chance to teach in the college.

Last week J had her first observation there. As much as I tried to reassure her that things would be fine, she was nervous. She loves working there and wanted to make a good impression.

J's observation went great. The person observing her loved the lesson and loved everything she did. She praised J up the kazoo when the lesson was over. J was shocked. She taught for over 30 years and never received an observation that was not full of criticisms.

The person who can do no right in a high school setting does no wrong in a college setting. Life is stranger than fiction. The college would never subject a teacher to the scenerio described in the first paragraph. The college does not play gotcha. In NYC public schools, this happens all the time.