“The fact is, some teachers aren’t yet ready to accept written feedback at all. A written note left on a teacher’s desk after a mini-observation could very well seem intimidating, threatening, or even confrontational if the administrator hasn’t established a growth-oriented relationship.” (Hall & Simeral, 2008, p. 145)
Hall, P. & Simeral A., (2008). Building teachers capacity for success: A collaborative approach for coaches and school leaders. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
This quote made me think of a time when a new Assistant Principal completed a brief observation during one of my classes and marked me as needs improvement. I was extremely upset for many reasons. 1) I had never received a needs improvement, 2) I did not feel that the NI was an accurate evaluation, and 3) I had barely seen or spoken to this Assistant Principal in the few short months that he had been there. I was comfortable setting up an appointment with the AP to further discuss the evaluation and my point of view. After discussion and providing the evidence for my lesson and teaching the AP changed the score.
I wonder if I was a brand new teacher and this had been my experience would I confront the AP and discuss the evaluation? As future leader, I see the importance of Hall and Simeral’s message of caution as it pertains to observations. I felt strongly as a teacher that before I could begin teaching my content to students, I needed to create a relationship with them and a reason and desire to learn. I have the same mindset as it relates to leadership. I believe that it is important to develop strong relationships with teachers, and additionally set firm expectations, but let them know how I will support them. Without a relationship built on trust and communication much can go wrong. Furthermore when I need to know where my teachers are and the type of feedback that is going to help grow their capacity. That feedback may have to be communicated in different ways.
I have personally not been in a situation like yours, but have seen a few teachers feel the same way you felt about their evaluation from the same administrator. And yes, everyone who had spoken to him after taking an appointment with him had a changed score with the admin accepting that she had made a mistake. However, there were two other teachers who were not worried about their evaluation and their score did not change. Sometimes, the leaders are not ready for their jobs and do not want to consult with their peers. As leaders, I feel we should be the first one to ask for help if we need help and be a role model to say learning is an ongoing process and there is no one that knows it all.
ReplyDeleteDanielle,
ReplyDeleteI agree that relationship building is so critical. I would add that after trust is build, conversations about what each level of the TKES represents. I think new teachers come into teaching expecting to get Proficients and Exceeds because they are not knowledgeable about the evaluation process.
Charlotte