I have stumbled on a cure to beat the case of nerves I get every year before my annual observation. Walk-throughs don't bother me in the least. I'm too busy to hardly even notice an administrator in my room. It is when I know they are coming for the entire period that I get flustered. Will I measure up, will I remember to use the right Bloom's Taxonomoy verbs that they are always telling us they are looking for? Will my classes be out of control or will they be sleepy and not participating?
Here is my solution. Make appt. for December observation in October. Write the date down on a sticky note and place on desk. Spend two months piling answer keys, papers to be graded, notes from the office, bell schedules, ISS papers, etc on top of sticky note so that it will never again see the light of day.
Show up on the day of your observation completely unaware that it will take place during your 6th period math models class. Spend conference period side-tracked on trying to download a new program onto your laptop. Spend your lunch visiting with the other math teachers on your hall. Show up to 6th period and begin class like always, get kids started on their warm-up, go to take roll and look up from computer after submitting attendance and find the principal sitting at a desk at the back of the room. That is when it hits you. OMG!! MY EVALUATION IS TODAY!
All went well thankfully. In fact it went really well. I was doing a little activity to introduce systems of equations. I showed to class how to construct guess-and-check tables to solve coin problems and ticket problems. I then showed them how to apply a guess-and-check table to a TAKS test problem. We talked about how even if they forget how to solve a system algebraically, they would still have this method to fall back on in a testing situation. I then gave them four problems to do in their groups. After the four problems they did in groups, they had to do 2 as individuals for a quiz grade.
The best thing about the evaluation, is I felt totally relaxed. When I know the administrator is coming, I say I'm going to do what I always do, that I won't put on a dog and pony show, but I find myself planning every little detail wondering what the principal will think about this or that. I tell the kids ahead of time we will have a visitor and to please be on their best behaviour.
This time, I felt natural, and the kids acted like themselves too. There was some chit chat just like always, I had to tell someone to take off their headphones, I had to ask someone to put a book away, but it was all done very calmly. Once they got into their groups, they all worked. I think they wanted to impress the principal.
I think from now on, I may just tell the principal to come anytime they want for my evaluation. I think I really do better that way. If I don't get nervous, then they will get a more realistic picture of what goes on in my classroom everyday. It ain't always pretty, but I feel confident that authentic learning is taking place every single day. If they want pretty, they'll have to go down the hall to the pre-ap and AP classes, if they want the real world, come on in to room 221 and pull up a chair!
