Back in the summer of 2011, our principal Mr.
Mauro Bautista asked teachers if we would be interested in participating in a
"Pioneer" program that addresses teacher development and was being
offered by the Partnership for LA Schools. This was during Mr. Bautista’s first
year as principal, needless to say he is a dedicated individual who is highly
admired by his staff, so when he expressed his excitement in this new program,
I followed his leadership and embarked on a new endeavor.
The Pioneers program is a peer-developed program
teachers can use to self-assess their knowledge and skills, using several
tools rooted in the Teaching & Learning Framework,
including self-reflection, goal-setting, high-quality teacher
observations, frequent feedback, multiple measures of effectiveness, and
opportunities to collaborate with other teachers.
I am a lifelong learner...as every teacher
should be, right? So being a lifelong learner with a special education
specialist background, I have learned over the years how easy it is for people
(teachers and students with disabilities) to become too comfortable in their
zone. I have heard many of the excuses from teachers who blame our neighborhood
and our culture for low test scores, and I have heard excuses from students
with disabilities who say "it's too hard" and give up.
So what's the harm in being evaluated?
This experience has helped connect me to other
professionals who objectively critique my practice. Before observers come into
my class, I have to assess myself. At the beginning, there were areas of my
work, which I believed myself to be highly effective. However, I didn't want to
appear conceited. I knew I would need to reflect on how I measured up against
the Teaching and Learning Framework rubric.
I will admit that the whole idea seemed
overwhelming. I was asked to reflect on my teaching by assessing myself.
I was comfortable assessing special education students, I did it regularly...but
to assess myself?! What was being asked of me? And who would "judge"
me? What will I look like on a checklist? Would I be marked Ineffective,
Effective, or Highly Effective? Could I eventually lose my job?
Keeping it real!
I remember while I was working on my first
self-assessment in True North Logic, an online assessment tool, I found myself
a bit self-conscience and began marking "developing" in many of the areas
just to play it safe, however I questioned myself because I knew I was
"highly effective" in many areas. So was I being honest with myself?
Or was I threatened by having observers verify my self-assessment? Yes,
all of this went through my mind.
During my class observation in 2011-2012, Mr.
Bautista and another teacher observed me for what turned out to be a boring and
long period, it drove me crazy because I had worked so hard on my lesson plan
in True North Logic yet it really didn't flow as smoothly as I had hoped.
Nonetheless it was a great learning experience for me. This school year's
observation was held in December with a pre-observation, where I met with Mauro
to discuss the goal of my lesson that would be observed and a post observation
to review and discuss feedback.
The feedback was a revelation. My observers
brought to my attention that I was doing most of the talking during my lesson
and provided proof through their detailed notes. This exercise helped me become
a better listener to my students, which means learning to pause long enough to let
my students process what I ask them and then allow them to practice answering
by using communication skills.
It was my, "a-ha" moment!
"WOW" I thought.
Thank you! I truly am thankful to learn what my
area of need is for my present level of performance (PLOP). As I said before, I
am a lifelong learner and will continue to improve myself, just as we expect
our own students to do the same. We cannot allow our students to give up on
themselves, and we cannot allow ourselves to be arrogant enough and to think we
have exceeded our own expectations of our present level of performance.
Because of this experience, I feel like I can
see clearer now. I am able to recognize my areas of need so I can improve, and
once I am able to improve only then will my students be able to improve.
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