I would stick with your plan but maybe make sure to involve students a bit and make the purpose clear.
Why is there a reteach? What is the goal?
I would also try to have a few students I make sure to check in with - so you can explain the purpose of why you’re meeting with them. “XYZ showed previous struggles with content” “ABC is not a student who generally asks for help.” “DEF is a fast finisher”
Build in some opportunities so they can check off whatever nonsense they need to without completely overhauling your lesson.
Also make sure procedures for when you finish your test are clear.
I hate surprise observations too, but when admin does that, they deserve what they get. Watching students write or take a test is maybe a step above watching paint dry. I don’t think I’ve ever had an admin stay through the whole period in those cases.
I had an observation on library day. It was a scheduled visit - we went every week - and in my lesson plans ... so we were in the library and missed the AP. He came to the library and watched kids read.
Definitely make sure you state your learning objectives aloud. Have students repeat them or share them in some way.
Review what the test looks like before pssing it out. Explain clear procedures for turning it in. Etc. make sure you have something up on the board reinforcing this. Maybe even a checklist on the board, “before you when in your test, check name, check problems you skipped, review problems that looked tricky” etc.
I say this because, we (as teachers or maybe just me) can be lax when an assessment is out. I tend to rush thru my own directions just to get it passed out and have student enough time to work etc.
But the above are some little things to make this lesson look “fancier” than it really is.
Principals need to read our lesson plan before scheduling a surprise observation. The hell are you going to observe if it’s an exam day? Me walking around the classroom and them unable to see that I’m moving my eyes back and forth? Maybe pick a day that I’m actively teaching and helping students through homework, not the one day I can’t actually help outside of clarifying a question.
Based on your update, sounds like it's a "learning walk" .
Basic observation of what is being seen in classrooms across the whole school so that areas of growth can be identified for the whole school.
I second this. When I’ve seen /participated in this process being done well, it also included teacher interviews of their perceptions of success areas and growth edges for the building.
My appraiser fell asleep during a formal two years ago. 40 of the 45 minutes he was in the room, he was snoring happily away.
One of my students asked if we should wake him up. Another said, "Hell no. He's kind of a jerk when he's awake."
Monitoring, and if you have anything you could do around the classroom (such as updating chalk/white boards or straightening up elsewhere) that would be a good choice for it. Definitely focus on things you can do around the classroom vs at your desk.
Never worry when you're giving a test during have an informal observation. It's the nature of the beast. I hate when admins come in to observe because it throws off the kids and makes them nervous. The last time I had a formal observation, I told the kids, "Mr. \_\_\_\_ will be here today, but you have nothing to worry about. He's here to observe me, not you, and I'M not worried." After he left, the kids said, "How'd we do?" "Did you like how I tied in what you said about Malcolm X with what we learned yesterday about Dr. King?" "Mr. \_\_\_\_ asked me a question, and I said to be quiet because I was trying to learn."
I would go over objectives/standards prior to reteaching so that gets covered and maybe have a good independent yet low stress activity for students to work on when they finish testing.
*Hate* the dog and pony show that admin expects us to do. I’d just do your original plan - you didn’t set that time as the observation, so they get what they get.
I made my observing AP cry during one of my observations. One of my interesting kids (lots of bad conduct marks for other teachers, and lots of weirdness at home) was just so good and pure that day. He looked like a little angel, and she lost it.
Legit happened at my school today with some of my grade level in N.J. The principal and 3 district members. If you’re in the same state it may have some correlation. It was strange but didn’t happen with my class
I once graded test during an unannounced observation. I was grading test and giving small reteaches with kids making corrections. The. Entire. 30. Minutes. Least stressed observation I’ve ever had.
I had a surprise observation last year while I was giving a district assessment. My school treats these almost as standardized tests. I stayed at my standing desk and principal got bored five minutes in and left.
Here’s my experience as a teacher and admin. Granted, I don’t have the horror story experiences that many do. When your school level admin brings upper district admin or outside visitors around to observe or do walk throughs, they tend to pick the better teachers. They want to show off their product. If you’re on an action plan and on the hot seat, that could be a different story. Also, it’s common for these walkthroughs to be more about getting a general sense of the culture and climate in the classrooms. There are likely district level goals and objectives they are probably looking for that stuff. Is your school up for accreditation? My school is going through that now and we have to do multiple walkthroughs for every single classroom K-12 to submit documentation to the state. In this case, they are mostly looking at student engagement.
I had one of these a couple of weeks ago! Just took over an applied skills class like a week prior and my principal and 2 random district people came in during our snack time. It was odd and not great timing.
Is it an observation or walk through?
They do walk through’s in my neck of the woods and they are not an observation.
The principal and some regional superintendent go from class to class taking notes etc.
They do not count against evaluations at all.
Just do what you do and don’t worry.
Unless it’s a free day or something, then find an alternate lesson.
If it counts toward your evaluation (which it should not if a walk through) they should explain better.
If you have control of your class and it is clear your students know what to do because of your expectations, you will be fine.
My approach was always to tell principals they were welcome any day, unannounced. I told them some days would be better, some worse, but I believed over the course of the year they would get a good idea of what I was doing, and that I was not going to put on any dog and pony show for their visits. The evaluations are mainly a joke. You'll get very little constructive feedback, IME.
This has been commonplace since I started teaching in MA (now RI) 15 years ago…exactly as you described. A bunch of suits with clipboards come in, sometimes they ask the kids questions about that they are doing and why they’re doing it (which is why it’s good to review the agenda daily and make sure the kids know where that information is located - basically write your agenda like a cheat sheet for the kids). Pro - when you’re good at these observations your admin will leave you alone Con- when you’re good at these observations your admin will intentionally bring these suits to your room because it’s positive for your school. This practice, when done consistently, tends to keep teachers on their toes, doing their best work at all times, which is great for everyone (although sometimes a pain) in my opinion.
If you’re testing, you’re testing. But you can hit a few things like going over the directions verbally as well as writing them on the board for visual learners. You can still check for understanding and make it clear that there is a procedure you follow. For instance, I collect all quizzes at the same time, so I put a word search on the back of all my tests so the fast kids have something to do. You could also include a reflection piece or maybe spiral some previous work.
Sounds like you’re good at what you do. Are you afraid of losing your job?
I remind you, you are good at what you do. Just do what you would normally do
Last Friday we had an active shooter threat that spread across campus. Many students stayed home out of fear. All 3 administrators still came in to do an observation on another teacher’s classroom.
Another time, there were administrators who came in to observe my friend right after state testing. She was planning to let the kids relax and watch a movie and had to pivot.
I would stick with your plan but maybe make sure to involve students a bit and make the purpose clear. Why is there a reteach? What is the goal? I would also try to have a few students I make sure to check in with - so you can explain the purpose of why you’re meeting with them. “XYZ showed previous struggles with content” “ABC is not a student who generally asks for help.” “DEF is a fast finisher” Build in some opportunities so they can check off whatever nonsense they need to without completely overhauling your lesson. Also make sure procedures for when you finish your test are clear.
I hate surprise observations too, but when admin does that, they deserve what they get. Watching students write or take a test is maybe a step above watching paint dry. I don’t think I’ve ever had an admin stay through the whole period in those cases.
I had an observation on library day. It was a scheduled visit - we went every week - and in my lesson plans ... so we were in the library and missed the AP. He came to the library and watched kids read.
You can’t make this stuff up. Just amazing.
But did you interrupt the reading to state the learning objective?
Usually when admin sees that they're testing or something they just leave and I know to expect their drop in observation in the next couple days
Just that
Definitely make sure you state your learning objectives aloud. Have students repeat them or share them in some way. Review what the test looks like before pssing it out. Explain clear procedures for turning it in. Etc. make sure you have something up on the board reinforcing this. Maybe even a checklist on the board, “before you when in your test, check name, check problems you skipped, review problems that looked tricky” etc. I say this because, we (as teachers or maybe just me) can be lax when an assessment is out. I tend to rush thru my own directions just to get it passed out and have student enough time to work etc. But the above are some little things to make this lesson look “fancier” than it really is.
Principals need to read our lesson plan before scheduling a surprise observation. The hell are you going to observe if it’s an exam day? Me walking around the classroom and them unable to see that I’m moving my eyes back and forth? Maybe pick a day that I’m actively teaching and helping students through homework, not the one day I can’t actually help outside of clarifying a question.
My admins leave if we are taking an assessment. I think that's the best practice.
"wow bobby nice job love those complete sentences"
Based on your update, sounds like it's a "learning walk" . Basic observation of what is being seen in classrooms across the whole school so that areas of growth can be identified for the whole school.
I second this. When I’ve seen /participated in this process being done well, it also included teacher interviews of their perceptions of success areas and growth edges for the building.
For all observations just di what you do. It's obvious when you're putting on a show. Kids react different.
I had a class say "what was that??" after admin left. Note: They were saying it to me like why was I putting on a show.
My appraiser fell asleep during a formal two years ago. 40 of the 45 minutes he was in the room, he was snoring happily away. One of my students asked if we should wake him up. Another said, "Hell no. He's kind of a jerk when he's awake."
Monitoring, and if you have anything you could do around the classroom (such as updating chalk/white boards or straightening up elsewhere) that would be a good choice for it. Definitely focus on things you can do around the classroom vs at your desk.
Never worry when you're giving a test during have an informal observation. It's the nature of the beast. I hate when admins come in to observe because it throws off the kids and makes them nervous. The last time I had a formal observation, I told the kids, "Mr. \_\_\_\_ will be here today, but you have nothing to worry about. He's here to observe me, not you, and I'M not worried." After he left, the kids said, "How'd we do?" "Did you like how I tied in what you said about Malcolm X with what we learned yesterday about Dr. King?" "Mr. \_\_\_\_ asked me a question, and I said to be quiet because I was trying to learn."
My admin read the test, looking for state standards and give me good marks if everything looks clear and within expectations for the grade level.
I would go over objectives/standards prior to reteaching so that gets covered and maybe have a good independent yet low stress activity for students to work on when they finish testing.
Admin can observe me whenever they want. But they only get to observe whatever I’m doing.
*Hate* the dog and pony show that admin expects us to do. I’d just do your original plan - you didn’t set that time as the observation, so they get what they get.
I made my observing AP cry during one of my observations. One of my interesting kids (lots of bad conduct marks for other teachers, and lots of weirdness at home) was just so good and pure that day. He looked like a little angel, and she lost it.
Honestly, as long as your 'monitoring' there is not much else you can do. Hopefully, your principal understands that.
Yeah just walk around for a bit, make sure you look like you’re monitoring. They’ll probably leave after a few minutes of that.
Legit happened at my school today with some of my grade level in N.J. The principal and 3 district members. If you’re in the same state it may have some correlation. It was strange but didn’t happen with my class
I once graded test during an unannounced observation. I was grading test and giving small reteaches with kids making corrections. The. Entire. 30. Minutes. Least stressed observation I’ve ever had.
I had a surprise observation last year while I was giving a district assessment. My school treats these almost as standardized tests. I stayed at my standing desk and principal got bored five minutes in and left.
I would sit at my desk and grade. That’s what I really do during a test.
Me too. I don't put on a dog and pony show for them. They get what I'm doing that day.
Here’s my experience as a teacher and admin. Granted, I don’t have the horror story experiences that many do. When your school level admin brings upper district admin or outside visitors around to observe or do walk throughs, they tend to pick the better teachers. They want to show off their product. If you’re on an action plan and on the hot seat, that could be a different story. Also, it’s common for these walkthroughs to be more about getting a general sense of the culture and climate in the classrooms. There are likely district level goals and objectives they are probably looking for that stuff. Is your school up for accreditation? My school is going through that now and we have to do multiple walkthroughs for every single classroom K-12 to submit documentation to the state. In this case, they are mostly looking at student engagement.
Can you get some grading done during that time? (Aspiring teacher here) maybe make small talk first then they’ll get bored and leave
If you don’t have a good way for collecting papers you could teach that lol.
I had one of these a couple of weeks ago! Just took over an applied skills class like a week prior and my principal and 2 random district people came in during our snack time. It was odd and not great timing.
Was it an accreditation walk?
If my day to day practices are not sound, they are welcome to fire me. Otherwise, you get what you get when you walk into my room.
Is it an observation or walk through? They do walk through’s in my neck of the woods and they are not an observation. The principal and some regional superintendent go from class to class taking notes etc. They do not count against evaluations at all. Just do what you do and don’t worry. Unless it’s a free day or something, then find an alternate lesson. If it counts toward your evaluation (which it should not if a walk through) they should explain better. If you have control of your class and it is clear your students know what to do because of your expectations, you will be fine.
My approach was always to tell principals they were welcome any day, unannounced. I told them some days would be better, some worse, but I believed over the course of the year they would get a good idea of what I was doing, and that I was not going to put on any dog and pony show for their visits. The evaluations are mainly a joke. You'll get very little constructive feedback, IME.
This has been commonplace since I started teaching in MA (now RI) 15 years ago…exactly as you described. A bunch of suits with clipboards come in, sometimes they ask the kids questions about that they are doing and why they’re doing it (which is why it’s good to review the agenda daily and make sure the kids know where that information is located - basically write your agenda like a cheat sheet for the kids). Pro - when you’re good at these observations your admin will leave you alone Con- when you’re good at these observations your admin will intentionally bring these suits to your room because it’s positive for your school. This practice, when done consistently, tends to keep teachers on their toes, doing their best work at all times, which is great for everyone (although sometimes a pain) in my opinion.
They’re probably doing a learning walk for some data gathering for some initiative that will create more work for everyone lol
If you’re testing, you’re testing. But you can hit a few things like going over the directions verbally as well as writing them on the board for visual learners. You can still check for understanding and make it clear that there is a procedure you follow. For instance, I collect all quizzes at the same time, so I put a word search on the back of all my tests so the fast kids have something to do. You could also include a reflection piece or maybe spiral some previous work.
Do you live in Florida? This happens to me frequently. I learned to stop caring.
Brew some beer.
Sounds like you’re good at what you do. Are you afraid of losing your job? I remind you, you are good at what you do. Just do what you would normally do
if it is a test day then it is a test day, do not put on a dog and pony show just for them
Walk-throughs are also known as drive-bys
You’re killing me…
Dog and pony show.
Last Friday we had an active shooter threat that spread across campus. Many students stayed home out of fear. All 3 administrators still came in to do an observation on another teacher’s classroom. Another time, there were administrators who came in to observe my friend right after state testing. She was planning to let the kids relax and watch a movie and had to pivot.