Vernadette Garland Teacher Observation Reflection Paper Dr.

Fran Riddick April 4, 2012

FIRST CYCLE Background (Ms. X) Ms. X is a second grade, first year teacher at Hubbard Elementary School. Although I do not have a personal relationship with her, we have been friendly toward each other in passing and during staff meetings this school year. My principal had a list of observations, which needed to be done and gave me the option of choosing which teachers I wanted. When I choose Ms. X, she snickered, was about to make a comment, then decided not to. When I attempted to get it out of her, she said, Im going to let you see for yourself. I left her office thinking, What have I gotten myself into? Pre-conference (Ms. X) The pre-conference took place on February 10, 2012. I used a form, which I obtained from Dr. Kathy Williams, principal of East Garner Middle School, as a source for questions for the pre-conference. When I looked at the video the chief and most striking revelation was my body language. I pride myself in being extremely approachable; however, I never smiled during the pre-conference and appeared very rigid and direct. I have reflected a great deal on this, wondering if this is how I always come across or were my actions a result of my being nervous about the conference. The fist thing I did was schedule a day and time for the observation. Initially, she said, It doesnt matter, any day is fine. When I suggested Thursday, she objected, stating that the lesson would be almost over. I offered Monday, which resulted in her saying the lesson would be just beginning and she would not have had time to arrange her groups. Finally, I said, You tell me a day, to which she responded Wednesday or Thursday.

Next, I asked her about her lesson plan and which objectives she would be covering. When she said, Im not really sure, I was a little put off, since the observation was due to be conducted Wednesday of the following week and we were meeting on the Friday the week before. At the time, I was unsure if this was a realistic expectation on my part and later discovered that it was not. The third thing I did was ask her how she used data to drive instruction. She answered with a full explanation about how she grouped her students based on 3D Reading data. Impressed, I asked her if she would be grouping the students during the observation. She responded with, WellI usually do the groups on Mondays and Tuesdays. At this point, my principals snicker entered my mind and I thought to myself, I have been set up. I meticulously examined the video to see if I smirked at this point in the conference, and was relieved to discover that what was in my brain did not come across on my face. Next, I asked her what teaching strategies she would be using during the lesson. She asked, What do you mean? I have never been a classroom teacher and therefore could not offer her any examples. I tried to recall what I have used during classroom guidance lessons and what I read in the book, Teach Like a Champion. SLANT is the only thing that would come to my mind. She was not familiar with SLANT and said that she uses shark which is not an acronym but refers to the shark on her wall and her students know that when she says shark that means she expects them to sit up straight and get on task. Ms. X informed me that she would be using the Active Board to address technology. When I asked her about 21st century skills and global awareness, she responded with, I do not plan these two things in my lessons, I just mention them if they come up.

I ended the pre-conference by telling Ms. X that I would be looking to see differentiation, technology, that the objectives are written and clear, that the students know what they are learning, that all learning styles are addressed, global awareness, and 21st century skills. I reminded her that this was a peer observation and that I would be focusing on Standards III and IV. I left her classroom feeling defeated and tired. Observation & Post-Conference (Ms. X) I conducted the observation on February 15, 2012 as planned. Ms. X stood in front of the Active Board and lectured to her students during the entire observation. It was fairly easy to see which rating to give Ms. X. I used a document, which our principal obtained from a DPI training. This document is the evaluation rubric and gives a detailed outline of what needs to be apparent in each strand to obtain each particular rating. Ms. X also has access to this document and I consider the teachers blessed to have it. Although I knew in my mind that she was developing in all standards, I had not filled in the evaluation instrument. In reflection, I know that I didnt put the checks in developing because I was unsure of myself and I wanted to give her an opportunity to redeem herself. I now know that this was a mistake. I began the post-conference on February 22, 2012, by showing her the document and telling her that I used it to rate her. I admitted that I had trouble and said that I didnt put the checks because I wanted to be fair. I stammered my way from accomplished to developing for each element, stating what I saw and didnt see in the lesson. I said, If you feel like these things were present in the lesson, stop me and we will discuss it. She did stop me, and rambled her explanations about why she should be accomplished. When I marked developing and told her my rating, she he responded with a nod or, Whatever, you think Ms. Garland. I attempted to

offer her suggestions throughout the post-conference, but learned how limited my classroom knowledge is through this experience. I was very fortunate that I had access to the detailed document from DPI and referred to that to offer assistance. When we got to Standard IV, she started crying. The post-conference went from bad to worse. I felt compelled to counsel her and rushed through the rest of the meeting. I honestly wanted to get out of there. She had shut down and I felt like I was attacking her. She said she got all As in grad school and was not use to getting Cs (which is what she associates developing with). I tried to console her by saying this was a growth model and that she was a first year teacher. I suggested that she use the document to plan her lessons when she was expecting an observation. She claimed she had never seen the document. I knew this was not true and told her so, because it is on the shared folder and our principal has gone over it in staff meetings. I empathically told her that teaching is hard work and if I knew that this was the instrument they were using to measure me with, I would plan by it. I explained that all I could evaluate was the lesson that I saw and apologized for making her cry. Although she said she understood, all friendly communication has ceased. She walks pass me in the hallways and turns the other way. In reflection, I learned a great deal from this experience. First, I learned that having a standard document to reference during the pre-conference is crucial. That way, every teacher that you observe begins at the same point. I felt prepared during the pre-conference and feel that I implemented the evaluation instrument with fidelity; however, I felt inadequate during the postconference. If I am going to be conducting observations and offering feedback, I need to learn best teaching practices. Although I am a counselor, I felt helpless when she started crying because I was the source of her misery. I was extremely uncomfortable offering constructive

feedback and would have rather avoided the whole thing. I also learned that leadership is a lonely place and I wonder how you can be a principal and still be friends with those you are observing. For my next observation, I will make sure I check the ratings I plan to give before the postconference. I will research some best practices to make sure I know a little more about being in the classroom. I will tell the teacher what tool I will be using to see which rating she has earned. I will tell her about the instrument during the pre-conference to make sure she is aware of it. SECOND CYCLE Background (Ms. Y) Ms. Y is a fourth grade, 3rd year Teach For America teacher at Hubbard Elementary School. I have built a rapport with her and often compliment her on her relationship with students and creativity in the classroom. Although she is young, she is a portrait of what I think teachers should be. The past two years have been difficult for Ms. Y. She has exhausted herself trying to find ways to manage unruly students, reach unmotivated children and challenge those who want to learn. This year, she has a student with high functioning autism in her classroom that is constantly defiant and pees on herself whenever she doesnt get her way. Pre-conference (Ms. Y) Ms. Ys pre-conference was on February 13, 2012 and was conducted with the same form that I used with Ms. X. When I viewed the video, I could tell that the tone of my voice was cheerful and I seemed happy. In reflection, I wonder if this was because I genuinely like Ms. Y or if it was because I felt more comfortable, having already completed my first cycle. Ms. Y had her lesson plan book in front of her, ready to answer any questions that I had. We began by scheduling a day and time for the observation. When I asked when she wanted me to

come she replied, Do you want to see me teaching or do you want to see that I can manage misbehavior? I told her I wanted to see her teaching and she immediately said, You can come Thursday at 1:30. I asked her what objectives would she be covering, she energetically flipped through her lesson plan book and recited her objectives and the Common Core standard that aligns with it. Next, we discussed data. Ms. Y informed me that she planned to have three guided reading groups, leveled by ability, based on data that she had gathered from the last benchmark. The groups would be analyzing multicultural poetry. With her two low groups, she would be working on phonics, vocabulary, and fluencyalong with analyzing one poem. The high groups would be analyzing two poems and comparing and contrasting the text. While she was working with the groups, the other class would be working in thinking circles, a technique that she got from reading a book called, Non-fiction Reading Power. The purpose of this was to teach them how to collaborate and help them with active reading skills. Finally, we discussed how she would be using technology and global awareness. She said she used flipped video lectures to teach the kids how to analyze text and planned to put students who were absent on the computer to view the lesson. The students in the thinking circles would be preparing a paper slide project, which she planned to video and show to the class. The thinking circle groups would be studying and discussing how global warming affects polar bears. I ended the pre-conference by showing Ms. Y the document that I would be using to determine the rating and told her what I would be looking for, although I felt it redundant. She had already shown me that my expectations would be met and obvious in her lesson. Additionally, Ms. Y was familiar with the document and stated that she uses it to plan her lessons. Once she was sure that I had finished, she asked if she could show me her lesson plan

book, as if looking for praise. I showered her with genuine compliments. She said she was looking forward to the post-conference because she wanted feedback on how she could be a better teacher. I told her that she could probably teach me, and although she thought I was joking, I really was not. I left her classroom feeling energized and inspired. Observation & Post-Conference (Ms. Y) I conducted the observation as planned on February 22, 2012. Ms. Ys lesson plan was in view and detailed precisely what she facilitated in her lesson. Buzzing is the word that comes to mind if I am asked to describe the atmosphere in her classroom. I saw collaboration, technology, global awareness, 21st century skills, solid teaching in the small groups, and students actively engaged and happy. They recalled information from previous lessons on numerous occasions. I conducted the post-conference on February 24, 2012 and this time I was prepared. I had made myself notes about what I saw in the classroom, had already checked all of the ratings on the evaluation instrument and had researched teaching strategies. I had no problem rating Ms. Y proficient in most areas and accomplished in some. I started off telling her how much I enjoyed her lesson and how much I admire her as a teacher. My mood was cheerful and I expected her to be excited about my comments; however, she seemed weary. We went over the notes and the ratings. I explained what I saw and things that I thought she could improve on. She welcomed the feedback and asked clarifying questions. I felt very comfortable with her and since I had done some research, I had things to offer her that she had not considered. I suggested that she use rubrics for the kids who were working in the thinking circles as a way for them to self-monitor and grade themselves before producing the finished

product (thanks Dr. RiddickI got that from you!). I also suggested that she have students build models of polar bear dens out of play dough, as a way to address multiple intelligences. At the end of the post-observation, I concluded with, From peer to peer, what I would like to see, is you become more of a leader. I think you are hiding behind yourself. I think you have a lot to offer, but I dont think you are confident enough to shine and I would like to see you develop in that area. Before I could finish my comments, I could see her tearing up and I thought, Lord, not again. Even though she was crying, I continued with, I think you are letting the circumstances of your classroom environment dim your light and I know you are tired. I could tell it in your lesson and I see your passion wilting. You dont have the energy that you had last year and I hate to see that. I admitted that I consider her a star teacher and expect more from her. Then, she opened the floodgates. Through tears, she told me that she was tired and that she trusts me and appreciates me for listening to her. No one has ever asked her how she feels and no one has ever validated her as a great teacher. She said, Teaching is my life. I work all night trying to come up with new things and my heart is just broken because some of my students dont want to learn. I felt like I was in a counseling session again. Only this time it was different. I sat and listened to her and encouraged her to look at all of her successes instead of those that present challenges. In reflection, I learned a great deal from this entire experience. First, I am fascinated at the difference between the teachers. I am amazed how one teacher can have it and the other one struggle to get it. It is an unknown that I cannot give a name. I am also astonished how

teachers can grow from year to year and learned that new and developed teachers need to be nurtured or they will fail. I felt more confident in the second cycle because I was more prepared. It was easier to do the post-conference on Ms. Y because it was positive. I know I dont like conflict and will avoid it at any cost; therefore, I need to work on my crucial conversation skills for those times when the results are not favorable. The second observation was also easier because I studied that document before going into Ms. Ys classroom. I knew what to look for without having to constantly refer back to the paper. Since I have only taught classroom guidance, I know I need to expand my knowledge of teaching strategies. Finally, although both teachers cried during the post-conference, it felt different to me. I walked away from Ms. Y thinking that I had helped her in some way. I felt like she needed to release that and was pleased that she felt safe enough to do it with me. My relationship with Ms. Y is the kind that I will strive to have with my teachers when I become an administrator and Ms. Y is the kind of teacher that I will pursue. Through reflection, I answered my own question. Leadership does not have to be a lonely place. Maybe you can be a principal and still be friends with those you are observing, if mutual respect and safety are also a part of the equation.