About this time last year, I comforted a co-worker after her first post-observation “conversation.” The principal had berated her without allowing my co-worker to defend her lesson plan. Just a few weeks earlier, I had been the target of a post-observation meeting. The principal claimed that my lesson plan was ineffective and not “best practices,” even […]
teacher evaluation
Flipped Learning: Let Your Students Grade You
A student grading a teacher. This is not as far-fetched as you think. Have you listened to them when they receive their schedules? They talk about which teachers give “too much” work or teachers who are really “strict.” They already talk about you and your class. In fact, college students evaluate their professors after the […]
Teachers and Their Students Practice, Not Perform
“A bad dress rehearsal foretells a great performance.” This theatrical superstition is a great comfort to those who botch lines, drop lines, break props, or miss entrance cues before performing in front of an audience. Rehearsals are for practice, to fix what could go wrong so that the performance before a critical audience is perfect. […]
Workplace Bullying in the School- When Is Enough..Enough?
Teachers are often the ones who must protect students from bullying. But, who is going to protect the teacher when he or she is being bullied? Unfortunately, workplace bullying or harassment is not a new phenomenon. There has been federal legislation prohibiting job discrimination since the 1960s. The unique thing about teacher bullying, however, is […]
The Importance of a Strike: The Chicago Edition
What if all teachers went on strike? What would schools do? How would students learn? How would parent find a safe, productive environment for them? These are all questions that people who live in Chicago are experiencing because as on September 10, 2012 all teachers in Chicago Public Schools went on strike. Everyone […]