Maybe you’re hoping for super test scores, or maybe you’re just living for the weekend at this point. Summer break could be foremost on your mind and you are wondering how you will survive the next 3 months.  A retirement countdown may be on your calendar.

You may also be worried about the student that is frequently absent or the one that wears the same clothing daily.  You may simply be wondering what you are going to fix for supper. But, have you ever stopped and really thought about what you want to achieve?

I had lofty goals when I started teaching. Each student would arrive bright and cheerful eager to learn. They would be well-fed, clean, and not have a worry in the world. They would go on to graduate with honors and achieve wonderful things for the world. I had lofty goals and, as one friend put it, rose colored glasses on.  I still remember the day they came off, or, as my friend put it, got smashed. 

My first year was spent wiping noses, coaxing abused children to participate, and carrying a terminally ill child to and from recess and specials on his ‘bad’ days.  I also spent a lot of time crying. Why did children have to suffer from abuse, alcoholic parents, and diseases? Why was the system so slow and so inefficient when it came to abuse?  Why did people, who didn’t really want children, have children? 

My main achievement that year, beside survival, was to love those kids. One of my college professors had stressed that we needed to love every child, especially those who seemed unlovable, "Love the ones that are dirty as well as you love the ones that are clean".  I learned that lesson -the hard way.  Not that loving others doesn’t come naturally to me, it does, I just didn’t realize how many children would be unloved and look to me to fill in the gaps.

For the last 22 years, I’ve loved children that are not mine, children that have yelled at me, children that have tried my patience, and children that beg for attention in every imaginable way.  There have also been the ones that I wish I could take home with me, the ones that I want to protect from a cold, cruel world. But all I have is a small window every week day, for 9 months a year.

It isn't always easy. It is stressful, demanding, and emotionally draining, but there are numerous rewards. The student that recognizes you 10 years later and hugs you, saying, "You were my favorite teacher"; or the one that admits they "didn't like you at first, but then I got to know you and understand that you were trying to help me" ; or the one that "adopts" you. 

So, what do I want to achieve as a teacher. Oh, you know, the usual… To be a lifelong learner and lead young minds into life long learning and to be everything to everyone all the time. And since that’s not going to happen, I’ll settle for being there and loving the lovable and unlovable every week day for 9 months a year.

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How DO you talk to your administrator about your evaluation?

We’ve all had a principal that was easy to approach (or at least I hope you’ve had the privilege of working for this type of principal).  Someone who makes you feel like you work ‘with them’ instead of ‘for them’.  Someone that listens, encourages, guides, leads, and professionally corrects.

But what do you do if your administrator isn’t like this?

First, remember to show respect to the position. Even if you can’t respect the person, you can respect the position.  Sometimes it is hard to separate the two, especially when your administrator isn’t acting professionally. But in all circumstances YOU need to remain professional.

If you feel like you have been unfairly evaluated, respond ONLY AFTER you have prepared.  Preparation includes: reviewing the evaluation with your lesson, and having a trusted colleague or mentor review it (sometimes we are too close to a situation to see it clearly).

Take a step back from the situation, a day or two. If you are too hasty with your response you may regret it.  Try to get your mind off of it.  Seek guidance on possible responses from a real friend. A real friend is someone who will be honest, even if it isn’t what you want to hear.  I always pray before responding. I have found this to be the most helpful of all suggestions.

Write out responses.  This is helpful in reviewing whether you are being petty or professional. It is also a good way to make sure that you are covering the important points.

Before scheduling an appointment, determine if you want to meet alone or with a representative. If your relationship with your principal has not been good and you feel that the situation could become disciplinary, ask for a representative.   It also may be a good idea to have a non-biased third party take notes of the meeting. Be courteous and notify your principal, if you ask a representative to attend. Don’t start off on the wrong foot by surprising your principal and putting them on the defensive.

 Most situations are not as bad as we first think. Everyone can make mistakes and sometimes these oversights result in a misunderstanding.  Once, an assistant principal gave me a negative mark for not having “I Can Statements” or objectives posted. The “I Can” poster had been put up before school started and my daily objectives were always written on the board. He simply overlooked them.  I took pictures of both with a camera that time-stamped pictures and sent him an email with a short message.  I didn’t make a big production out of it. I simply stated that the statements and objectives were posted, but must not be in a location where they are easily noticed. Would he like for me to move them?  He never responded, but my email left a record that this mark on my evaluation was incorrect and I had handled it professionally.  However, under the same administrator, a fellow veteran teacher was evaluated while presenting a lesson on interpreting figurative language. She asked students to find representations of figurative language that she had placed around the room and then interpret them.  The principal stated, in her evaluation, that this was a lower order-thinking, rote memory skill.  She waited and collected her data and scheduled an appointment. During the appointment, the principal changed the mark on her evaluation and stated that he didn’t know what figurative language was.

 Most, but not all, situations can be resolved with good communication.   Let your administrator know that you want to learn from this evaluation and make necessary improvements.  Follow up with a written summary of what you learned from the meeting and thank the principal for meeting with you.  Ask the principal to respond if you have any misinterpretations of the meeting or if they have a concern.  Three reasons for this: 1. You have written your interpretation of the meeting and any misunderstanding can be immediately clarified; 2. You have responded in a professional manner; and 3.  You have a “paper trail” in case your principal becomes defensive. 

Hopefully, you will never have to use all of these steps, but as the evaluation process changes, more teachers may see a need to respond.  One thing we can all learn from the evaluation process is how to continually be a learner.

                                        

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The principal closes the office door.  Teachers gather around the secretary’s desk as everyone strains to hear what is going on behind the closed door. Waiting expectantly for the outcome.  After what seems like forever, the door opens and a teacher walks out. She is obviously shaken.  Her colleagues offer shy smiles and everyone returns to their classrooms.  Eventually, the story comes out.  A student had disregarded a classroom policy and received a warning, from the teacher. Two days later the same student, again breaks a rule. This time the classroom teacher wrote a disciplinary referral. She was hoping that she would have the support of her administrator. Instead, she received a warning about her classroom management style.  The student received nothing.

I still remember my first day of school.  My parents “ungraciously” introduced me to my kindergarten teacher and told her that if she had any problems with me, to just call and they would take care of it.  What were they saying?  Sure, I could be a handful and had trouble listening, but to give my new teacher permission to tell on me!  You’ve got to be kidding!  I knew that meant that if I got in trouble at school, I would be in trouble at home.  My parents had a realistic view of my abilities and limitations. They knew I wasn’t perfect and that I needed structure, discipline, and guidance to grow up into a responsible adult.

When I first began teaching, our principal was a no-nonsense lady that had high expectations for every student.  I heard the word “enabler” for the first time. She educated her staff, students, and parents on the concept of enabling and how damaging it could be when enabling interfered with the discipline process.  As a result, we had few discipline issues.  Staff and students were content. Classes were structured.  Lessons were engaging. Students were learning.  Test scores and reading levels rose.  Teachers didn’t have to worry about lack of administrative support.  Our principal wasn’t afraid of parents.

Flash forward to 2015. Principals seem more concerned about PR than maintaining a structured learning environment. Top level administrators seem intent on pushing schools into the 21^st century. This push involves enabling children.  A colleague was told by our administrator, “We don’t discipline here. We let kids be kids.”  This mindset is taking hold.  The previous school year, the assistant principal called me to his office after his meeting with a student that I had sent to the office. He wanted to share with me the reason that the student caused classroom disruptions: the student did not feel in control. The principal’s solution: I was to create opportunities for the student to be in control of the classroom.  At first, I thought it was a joke. Then I realized that the principal didn’t know how to handle the situation. It was easier to “correct” me than it would be to assign a consequence to the student.  By correcting teachers, administrators don’t have to worry about dealing with angry parents. And the district doesn’t have to worry about angry voters.  Teachers are expendable (a superintendent actually said this), but taxpayers aren’t.   Apparently, these administrators (and certainly not all administrators are like this. I have had the privilege of working for some amazing, courageous administrators) don’t realize that the end result will be a lack of trust and respect- by both the faculty and the taxpayers.  Schools that do not support their staff in maintaining a safe environment conducive to learning will soon see huge numbers of teachers exiting their district. Teachers put a great deal of effort into planning engaging lessons, connecting with students, and building rapport with colleagues. To have these efforts constantly undermined is draining.

Teachers will be the first to admit that classroom discipline/management begins with them. It is up to the classroom teacher to set the tone and establish perimeters. But it is the responsibility of the administration to support that teacher’s efforts and help them grow as an educator. Growth is not possible when a teacher is overworked and overwhelmed.  Teachers who struggle with classroom management know they need help. In a safe, supportive atmosphere they will ask colleagues and administrators for assistance and suggestions. In an atmosphere of fear, these teachers will put on a good face and hide behind tactics that will eventually erode to expose their weakness. Am I criticizing teachers that have poor classroom management?  No, we all have areas of weakness.  We all have areas that need improvement.  The point I am making is that teachers will flourish in a safe and supportive environment. In this type of atmosphere, everyone is a winner. Students feel safer and more engaged, teachers are more content and calm, administrators will spend less time putting out fires and more time building relationships with staff, students, and community.

If discipline worked in the “good old days” why have we rethought the process? If we can find the answer to this question, we will understand why talented teachers are leaving education.  What does the future hold for our 21^st century learners who lack responsibility, respect, and self-control?  Who will teach them these skills of citizenship?  Maybe it is time to get off the latest discipline band-wagon and use some common sense.

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    Okay, so my most recent blog post was on being positive and happy and spreading the joy. Well, I’m going to break my own “rule” and be nasty and negative. I hate (yes, I said hate) “Walk-Through" evaluations.  What reminded me of the dreaded "Walk-Through"? The comments that I am reading in the teacher groups that I belong to. Teachers making comments about their evaluations. Formal. Informal. Planned. Unplanned. And ….. Walk-through.  Ugh! 

I understand the necessity of evaluations. I think we should be evaluated.  But, I fail to understand how a 2-5 minute Walk-Through can tell an administrator (or worse, a colleague who collects the data for the administrator. And yes, there are districts that use this model) what and how you are delivering /facilitating a lesson. Especially when the evaluator comes into your room at the same time, every time.  By the end of the year, they will definitely know how you line your students up to go to specials, or take attendance, or how you register lunch preferences. But do they really know what is going on in your classroom?   Can they really determine how engaged your students are?  Do they understand the depth of the lesson or know what is the expected outcome?

To me the purpose of evaluations is eroded by the Walk-Through.  To say that this is a snap-shot of what you are doing is an overstatement. And then to take this ‘snap-shot’ and make evaluative assumptions on your level of engagement, your level of involvement with your students, the depth of knowledge of the lesson, your relationship with your students, and how you plan to assess student’s level of understanding is A Huge Overstatement. 

To say that I’ve been burned by these evaluations would be fair. One year, the various teachers assigned to this task, came to my room at the same time. Every time. Right after lunch.  We were still putting up lunch items and using the restroom. I was monitoring my students. My objectives were written on the board. Materials were out and ready to go. But, was any learning taking place? No. Was I  checking for understanding or assessing a skill? No.  I was taking care of necessary business so learning could take place.

These so-called assessments of my ability made me feel inadequate. It did not make me want to improve. (How can you improve restroom break?) It made me want to scream.  I was frustrated. And, as I am reading numerous posts by others, I am learning that some feel the same way I have felt. Others are relieved - almost joyful - that the torture of evaluations is over for the year.  Isn’t it sad that professionals are at the mercy of every new evaluative tool dreamed up by someone who has never monitored restroom break for 200 hormonal middle school students, or taken a lunch count of 30 hyper primary students, or escorted competitive elementary students to a dodge ball game. 

Teachers understand the importance of evaluations. Teachers even appreciate the feedback and constructive criticism offered by administrators as a result of spending quality time in their classroom and getting to know them professionally. Teachers welcome areas of opportunity. We love to hear about our strengths, and willingly discuss our weaknesses so that we can improve. If the truth were known, teachers are their own worst evaluator. Picking apart every lesson. Looking for a better way to teach and connect. Assessing what they need to improve. Always learning how to be a better teacher.  

Maybe it’s time that evaluations measured up to our standards.  

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