30 Days of Reflection: Day 3

Prompt: Discuss one "observation" area that you would like to improve on for your teacher evaluation.

There are few things in the educational world that can bring about more contention than observations and evaluations. After all, how does one objectively judge something that is inherently subjective? Cross this difficulty with what may sometimes be an atmosphere of anxiety, doubt, or even fear and it is no wonder that many teachers and administrators think about observations and evaluations with dread.

This is certainly true for new teachers. Teaching is a profession that one can NEVER perfect. It will never be possible to be all things to all people at all times. There is always more work to be done - designing stronger curriculum, developing stronger relationships, providing better feedback. So how do you balance this in the form of an evaluation? The answer must lie somewhere in the same vein as student feedback; validate the positives, and target areas for growth.

Like many veteran teachers, I know exactly what my strengths are in the classroom. I'm also quite familiar with areas that I would like to demonstrate growth. This year my focus is on improving communication with parents. Education is most effective for students when teachers and parents work together.I do an excellent job communicating with students, and I always respond to parents that initiate communication, but I really need to focus a bit more on initiating communication with ALL my parents. Some of this can be done by more effectively using technological tools (Jupitergrades, social media platforms, etc) but the rest requires me to explicitly focus on students with parent communication in mind.