Wednesday, March 9, 2016

SOLSC #9 Who dreamt this up?


During the month of March, I am participating in
the Slice of Life Story Challenge.
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for thirty-one days. My slices will be primarily about teaching preschoolers.
Check out the Two Writing Teachers website for many more reflections on teaching.

This is going to be an incredibly short slice.
May I simply share that I am exhausted?
Today, observers from the superintendent's office came to observe each of the four early childhood classrooms - that is, four observers, one for each room. Mine arrived at 8:15, when I was prepping for my day (students arrive at 8:30), and she left a little after 12 noon. 
Unbelievably exhausting experience.
What other profession experiences this?
Capturing a person's every word? 
Watching their every move? 
Seeing what is noticed? what is missed? 
Talk about pressure.
I simply don't get it. 
How did this become a norm for a classroom teacher?
I am exhausted.





9 comments:

  1. I feel you. I'm exhausted too. Good news: hump day done.

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  2. Usually, it is February that gets a girl, but March is feeling like a chore as well. Rats. Here's to the weekend! Cheers!

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  3. Usually, it is February that gets a girl, but March is feeling like a chore as well. Rats. Here's to the weekend! Cheers!

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  4. We have an evaluation team coming next week for accreditation. It's a dog and pony show. People who know little about what we do, who often have credentials that don't match ours, who have a political appointment descend and render judgment. The whole school has been jumping through hoops, and I'm on the list of classes to visit.

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  5. I have to echo Glenda. In a private school, we have to endure accreditation, lots of questions from those who don't understand how we do what we do. BUT-sorry for your day. Hope you can have a nice evening with little hoopla and maybe a hot bath! Chocolate too!

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  6. Honestly, I always kind of like being observed. Yeah, I get a little nervous, but I really welcome the feedback, and I want people to learn about my ELLs and see the work I do with them! Maybe it came from traveling into other teachers' classrooms for my first two years of teaching, but I have never minded being watched!

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  7. It's so unnerving and disturbing to have observers! Sorry it was an exhausting day!

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  8. This is so interesting to me as a coach. I'm always encouraging observations and peer-to-peer classroom visits and the like. Am I making my teachers exhausted??

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  9. I sympathize completely! I find when I am observed by local admin people I learn a lot because of the debrief. But these outsiders coming in and recording every mole and pimple drive me nuts and of course the kids with their sensitive antennae become unnerved as well! Mine was in January, whew, done. Til next year!

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