As a teacher there are always meetings that teachers have to go to as Continuing Education and / or training for specific programs that will so be implemented. Today I had to attend training for a Mentor Teacher position where I will be giving support for a new Beginning Teacher at Joe Hamilton.
The trainer asked an interesting question that made me stop and think for a minute. We were talking about if we can remember a situation in which we were to have been observed by a principal early in our teaching career, because the trainer wanted us to recall the fear and anticipation of the observation process. Typically, the principals observe teachers to watch their effectiveness in the classroom to see if they will be hired back the following year, and, yes, you can imagine the nervousness that this process brings about.
Generally what happens is that at the meeting after the observation there is a one-on-one meeting with the principal and they try to couch the bad things they see with a few positive comments. At the end of the meeting the only thing I wanted to ask the principal after his review, was, “Do you know if that job at McDonalds is still available?” The entire process is meant for the teacher to be reflective in their teaching, but all too often you don’t really walk away with a lot of confidence, because it seems like we always remember all the negative things and not the positive things.
When the trainer asked us if we remembered anything good about the process, no hands went up, which told me that quite a few people had a bad experience. I immediately raised my hand with my response. Everyone was surprised that something good came of my meeting and not theirs.
“Yes, mine was great. It was canceled.”
Thursday, September 27, 2007
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