One body, two teachers! It makes perfect sense
Posted by aphillieteacher on March 17, 2011
I always suspected that the forms our administrators fill out with such wanton glee were pretty much meaningless. Just this week I got absolute proof that I was right.
We have a new Vice Principal. Like anybody new to a building, he started out gung-ho, getting those feedback forms to us teachers in record time.
I was a little taken aback when I saw lots of “almost meets standard” check marks on the lesson plan form I ‘d been using for over a year.
I cringed. This hurt! Crikee, thought I, I better make some changes!
But what? Things had always been ok in the past. Plus I had no idea what exactly was wrong with the last lesson plan. It’s not as if he gave me any advice. Just feedback.
So when it came time to write up the next week’s lesson plans, I changed . . . . nothing.
Weeks passed. I wasn’t getting feedback of any kind, so I kept writing lesson plans in the same old way. I was a little nervous about getting more of those “almost meets standard” check marks, but what the heck. Let’s see what happens, right?
You know what happened? Today I got my new feedback checklist and voila! all were “Satisfactory. Meets standards.“
Two teachers! One good, one bad: same methods! By doing absolutely nothing I had turned my half-baked teaching performance around completely. Sure. It all makes perfect sense.
ricochet said
Wow – go you!! (high five)
aphillieteacher said
Thenk yew. Thenk yew very much! :)
Jen said
You are so much wiser! I’d have gone around trying to figure out what to change, probably handed in something different every week and ended up not knowing what I’d done to improve.
Your system has so much more finesse. I really needed to have learned this before now!
aphillieteacher said
It’s never too late to learn new tricks. add this gem to your repertoire and you’ll be much happier (and saner)
Consider this your Professional Development for the week.
Frances Kendall said
I assume that it will look good on his record tho’, that your rating improved from his feedback.
RED Girl said
Hi, A Phillie Teacher:
We never received feedback on lesson plans where I worked. In fact when we were supposed to turn in lesson plans at the end of the year, many teachers put one on top followed by blank paper. The administration still hasn’t caught on and it’s been years.
aphillieteacher said
Good one. Lots of time and toner saved!
crazed in Carlina said
A couple of creative collegues used to photocopy one plan and turn it in for both. ONe taught 7th grade, one taught 3rd.They made bets on how long it would take someone to notice. No one ever noticed.
aphillieteacher said
I like this! “Reading skills” covers both grades, as does “using context clues” and “teacher-led group discussion.”
If I was a programmer, I’d make a lesson plan generator made just for teachers, complete with pull-down menus and “Standards addressed.”
wow! side-line income with the chance for a second career :)
RED Girl said
Actually, if you just copy your lesson plans for this year you can turn them in next year, and the year after that, and the year after that because no one will ever notice. This method is another popular one at my school.
aphillieteacher said
Apparently that’s what a lot the teachers at our school do; I have the disadvantage of making up plans because these are new preps for me in addition to the new Assistant Principal having to show his chops.
But advice noted: this is why the god of computers invented jump drives.