Observations

Observations...something most of us dread. I have anxiety and I'm very much a people pleaser so observations definitely make me anxious. Unfortunately, being nervous typically makes me speed up what I'm doing. Maybe subconsciously I think if I finish the lesson sooner they will leave sooner, or I think that they are going to think I spent too much time on my lesson and not enough on the student activity. What ever the reasoning of my subconscious, my speediness comes back to bite me because inevitably skip some portion of my lesson.

This year I've had to take a whole new look at observations because I was chosen as the  teacher representative from my school to be an OBSERVER during our district snapshots. Let me tell you, it is hard to score an observation of a peer! Every time I click a number less than 4 I feel the stab that I know I would feel seeing that score on my observation. Ultimately, I know an honest score is best, but I know how it feels and I'm right there in the trenches with them. Every part of me wants to just announce to them that I know how hard they are trying!

It's impossible to hit every thing in every lesson. It's even more impossible to hit everything in the 20 minutes that an observer is in your room for a snapshot. One thing that this year has helped me see is that it's OK to not get all 4's! It's OK to score 1's! The important thing is that you reflect on your observation. If you scored a 1 and you know it's something you hit on a lot, know that and move on. Sometimes collaboration/technology/whatever you missed isn't appropriate. If you know that it's something you NEVER do, know that and take an opportunity to grow. I have colleagues that HATE technology. If they use it in their classrooms it's simply an activity to "entertain" their students. But when introduced to new activities with technology I'm seen them grow to love them. Still, they are apprehensive to take them to the next level. If we want our students to push themselves and grow, we have to push ourselves and grow.

If you score a 1 (or 2 or 3) and you feel like it should have been higher, really take the time to think about what you were doing and the indicator. If you can't figure out how you missed it and you have the opportunity please meet with your observer! Talk to them about the indicator and what you were doing that you thought should have scored higher. Maybe they weren't looking at it the same way you did. Knowing their viewpoint and helping them see yours will help with future observations.

Also, and I can't say this enough, DON'T try something just because you know you are being observed. If you are trying something new (trying new things is a GOOD thing after all), be transparent!! Be explicit with your instructions to your students, don't act like you expect them to already know how to do it.

Good luck on any upcoming observations, and know, I KNOW HOW HARD YOU'RE TRYING, KEEP IT UP, I'M RIGHT THERE WITH YOU!