Our Pincipal or assistant principal drops in about three times a week for short 5 to 10 minute observations (we never know when). They also drop in UNNANOUNCED for a formal observation 45min - 1 hour twice a year. From other posts I have read it sounds like some of you have prior knowledge of when you will be observed. How are obserations done at your school?
Our administrators were big on this method of abservations a couple of years ago. They came in for 15-20 min, watched what was going on, visited with a couple of the students, wrote down some observations, and left. They were supposed to come back for a 10 min observation, then a 5 minute. They never made it to the 10 min and haven't been back since!
We are observed frequently. My observer is usually an administrator, although it is sometimes another staff member, such as a specialist. They come in for short periods of time to watch what we are doing, write a little note, then leave it on my desk when they are leaving. I am an established teacher, so I'm not observed formally as often as the new teachers. New teachers are observed up to six times a year in a formal observation that lasts a class period.
I have been in my district 25 years. I have a formal evaluation every 2 years. The principal(the only adminstrator) has to have a meeting before the observation, has observe for 30 minutes, and have a meeting after the observation. The observation is scheduled.
Other than that my principal maybe comes in my room once every couple of minutes for just a few minutes. He really doesn't have time. For most of my teaching career I never had an adminstrator in my room for any reason other than the formal evaluation. There was a ten year span there where no one ever came in.
i'm observed formally (45 min) once a year---i think 1st and 2nd year teachers are observed twice a year, and 3rd years are observed 3x (one of those has to be by an administrator OUTSIDE our school).
these are planned ahead. sometimes our principal says: i want to see you using our new reading program; or i want to see a math lesson; i want to see a differentiated lesson; a lesson that involves technology... but the date is usually up to us. this year, my principal said: when can i come observe next week? i told her what she'd come for and the days i wanted her to come. (current principal breaks the observations down to weeks--every week she is observing one person) last principal did it by month.
i believe we are also observed twice--drop-in; but those are super-informal--we usually get a short form back that says what the principal observed--what she liked, etc.
my last principal said she wanted to try to make it into classes once a week--that NEVER happened--as a Title One school with many other programs, our principals are kept pretty busy!
We have 1 formal evaluation and 2 snapshots which are like 5 minute observations and we get a one form evaluation. For new teachers out of college they have 4 formal evaluations with one being by another mentor teacher and 3 by the principal and one of those are unannounced.
For new teachers, there are two formal (announced) and several informal (pop-in) observations. I believe this is true through five years, when the number of formal observations is reduced to one, but the pop-ins continue. For teachers with ten or more years, pop-in's continue, but teachers choose a professional development goal on which they work for the year. It can be developing a new curricular plan, taking on research, etc. This project is written up with a simple plan/goal and steps which will be taken. A timeline is set, and later in the year an administrator will meet to discuss the progress and offer help/suggestions, if desired.
In the past, only formal observations were made, but the faculty felt that these tended to be more artificial and did not reflect the reality of the day-to-day. As a result, the process includes pop-in's.
We get observed more often than I did at my other schools. We get observed by principal and one peer at least 3x/ year formally, and informally, there are many impromptu walk-throughs. At my first school, we were observed once a year, and that was it. I think that might be why I am so nervous when people come in. That observation was a *huge* deal, and it only happened once a year.
At my school we are supposed to have an evaluation each year. There are some years this does not happen. I ask for my administrator to come in and observe and preferably for more than 10 minutes. I am in constant contact with my administrator (parent information, lesson plans, grades, etc.)on a daily and being an established teacher I know she feels confident in my work. I like the feedback and want to know where I can improve and make positive changes.
As a first year teacher last year I had three formal observations. These were not announced. This is my second year teaching and I am not sure if I will still get 3 observations or if I just get 1. I know that once it is your 3rd year, you only get 1 formal observation per year. My principal has been in once this year for about 5 minutes and she just watched and talked to a few kids. I always get so nervous when she walks in even though I know I am doing fine. I think I am just a little intimidated by administrators She is usually pretty busy though and we have a relatively large school so she does not come often. I can't imagine being observed 6 times a year! I would be a nervous wreck!
For the last 3 or 4 years, the principal dropped in for 5 or 10 minutes a year. He told me that he had so many new teachers to observe that he didn't really have time to observe me. He asked if I minded if he just dropped in and then had a quick meeting so he could spend more time in new teachers' rooms. He left last year and the assistant principal up to principal. We have a new assistant principal and he observes me this year. He's already been in my room four times. Once he sat right by the table and watched as I did a running record, then walked around and asked the kids what they were doing at seatwork and centers. He was in the room for about a half hour that time. The other visits were shorter. I don't know whether to expect any more visits or not.
Since I am tenured, I get a formal evaluation every 2 years. Yes, he has to make an appointment with me- union rules. He does drop in, but usually to say hi. If you teach less than 4 years, you are evaluated each year.
I have tenure, so I get a formal--announced--observation once every three years. Before I had tenure I had two formal--one announced and one unannounced--observations every year.
Of course, there are lots of times when an administrator just stops in for a few minutes.
We no longer will be given notice about when our administrator comes in to observe us. He sent a memo to all staff stating that observations will be unannounced. When he does come in he usually stays for the durations of our 90 minute reading block or during math time.
In September, the administrator came in to do a formal unannounced observation. It was a bad day for me. I was taking a grad class and had stayed up until 3:00AM to complete an assignment.
The lesson presentation didn't go as I had planned. The students began to act out. I had a student who had been difficult the prior year and was being difficult that day. I felt so unsupported prior to this observation with the behavior of this difficult student.
And I should have been better prepared for the Language Arts lesson. I was so very angry with myself.
Needless to say the observational results shook my confidence and affected me for a long time. I have been observed many times in my 10 years and have NEVER received an unsatisfactory observation.
Although the administrator said that she "knows" that this was not my best effort, she would return and wanted to see more rigor and better structured lessons. The administrator said that this observation would remain in the building file only and would not go into the official file if improvement was observed.
I feel that I should always be "on" stage - Never able to have rehearsals to perfect my craft. I don't feel safe to experiment with new instructional techniques. I want a cookie-cutter lesson plan structural format that the administrator approves of so I can stick to it.
Additionally, I received unannounced "Quick Visits". One was unfavorable.
In January, I received my second unannounced formal observation. The administrator stated that she noticed growth, but the lesson objectives could have been better stated and better executed.
I reached out for assistant to the Education Management Organization representative. She is not in a position to evaluate teacher performance. I wasn't afraid to open up to this person. I planned to continue seeking assistance from this person. However, I recently learned that the EMO representatives will soon become secondary teacher performance raters this upcoming school year. She too will now do unannounced formal observations!
As a nontenure(first,second, and third yr) ,we get 4-5 unannounced formal eval....One or two from our principal, the rest administrators...Our principal stops in daily a well, and we also have quite a few formal walk thrus......tenure teachers have one unannounced a yr...
So do doctors get "walk throughs" ? Which other profession takes so much harassment. Walking through to check on us? How belittling. Do we really go to college for 5-10 years to be bullied by someone that most likely has less education and less experience. New teachers don't understand what it really means.
Our K-3 have walk throughs at least 2-3 times a week with a team of 2-5 people observing. Then, they stop you in the middle of the lesson, ask you to come outside, one of the team members takes over the class, while the rest of the team tell you how you can improve. That is just so wrong on so many levels!!! One of our team members has only been in teaching for only 6 years and is a complete bully and power hungry. Enough already.
We have 1 lesson formally observed during the year. Nontenure employees are observed twice a year. We have advance notice of these observations and are required to submit full, credential-school type of lesson plans for them.
Our principal is in our rooms for a few minutes every week. Some teachers get this more than others for various reasons, and it also depends on how much time she has during a week.
Personally, I like the walk-through. It gives my principal a good idea of what's going on in my class. So if I have an off day when she's formally observing me (like the time I was pregnant and had a giant hot flash during a lesson that made me so dizzy I had to sit down and stop teaching for a couple of minutes), she still knows what typically goes on in my class and I can still get a good evaluation.
I too am a Special Education teacher. It is the hardest that I have ever worked in my life, but it is the one that I love more than any other. This fall will be my third year (tenure I hope). The faculty and administration that I work with are the best. We have one announced evaluation and one un-announced. This does not bother me in the least. You see, at my school we have no classroom doors, nor do we have any windows in the classroom. This doesn't bother me at all. The lean up against the doorway and I never know they are there. They also come in and participate in the teaching of my lesson. The way I look at this is that I am doing what I am suppose to be doing. Sometimes the students will notice them before I do. It can be quite amusing.
10-14-2007, 03:50 PM
She is usually pretty busy though and we have a relatively large school so she does not come often. I can't imagine being observed 6 times a year! I would be a nervous wreck!
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