"Experienced Teachers"

Message edited 4/15/2007 9:04:21 PM.

Re: "Experience Teachers"

I cant imagine anyone saying "I know what my students are doing 100% of the time." That is unrealistic. However, I am very alert in the classroom and my students know how in tuned I am. Its rather difficult to get one passed me but yes of course it happens.

Message edited 4/12/2007 4:38:01 PM.

Re: "Experience Teachers"

I think it is virtually impossible to know what EVERY student in your class is doing - you are only one pair of eyes. I can honestly say that although I am very alert and constantly walking around the room, I do not know what they are doing 100% of the time.

Re: "Experienced Teachers"

I have 8 kids in my class. There are also 3 adults. One adult in the front. Two in the back. We always know.

Re: "Experienced Teachers"

Message edited 4/15/2007 9:04:30 PM.

Re: "Experienced Teachers"

Well thats just very unfair.....I'd be more pizzed at those kids for ruining my observation.....They be given hell by me if that happened.

We are only "monitors" in effect- We can watch what we see.

Re: "Experienced Teachers"

That's not fair

My trick is that I give the kids the impression that I always know what's going on. For example I am like a hawk with gum. Ever since I had to heimlich one of my students I am a HAWK. I will purposely wait until I am writing on the board 75% of the time before I will say (as my back is turned to them) Johnny could you please go spit your gum out. There faces are like Or I will be right in the middle of my lecture and I will have already zoned in on somone chewing gum in my room-as I am speaking I will throw a sentence in there stating so and so has gum and never look at the person. It scares the kids in a harmless way from the get go that they think I have eyes on them at all times!

But that is not fair that they wrote that in your observation.

Re: "Experienced Teachers"

I teach first grade and they know I am always watching them.
I even convinced them the fire alarm systems with the little red lights are cameras linked up to the principals office. They stare at it as if it were a camera watching them...so funny

Re: "Experienced Teachers"

Posted by Jamie

That's not fair

My trick is that I give the kids the impression that I always know what's going on. For example I am like a hawk with gum. Ever since I had to heimlich one of my students I am a HAWK. I will purposely wait until I am writing on the board 75% of the time before I will say (as my back is turned to them) Johnny could you please go spit your gum out. There faces are like Or I will be right in the middle of my lecture and I will have already zoned in on somone chewing gum in my room-as I am speaking I will throw a sentence in there stating so and so has gum and never look at the person. It scares the kids in a harmless way from the get go that they think I have eyes on them at all times!

But that is not fair that they wrote that in your observation.

Re: "Experienced Teachers"

Posted by prncssrachel

Posted by Jamie

That's not fair

My trick is that I give the kids the impression that I always know what's going on. For example I am like a hawk with gum. Ever since I had to heimlich one of my students I am a HAWK. I will purposely wait until I am writing on the board 75% of the time before I will say (as my back is turned to them) Johnny could you please go spit your gum out. There faces are like Or I will be right in the middle of my lecture and I will have already zoned in on somone chewing gum in my room-as I am speaking I will throw a sentence in there stating so and so has gum and never look at the person. It scares the kids in a harmless way from the get go that they think I have eyes on them at all times!

But that is not fair that they wrote that in your observation.

Ooo, you're just like me! I can see the reflection of the kids in the window when I'm writing on the board, so if I say, "Johnny, stop touching Laura's hair!" , they think I have super powers Even the older ones have no idea how I do it

Re: "Experienced Teachers"

Re: "Experienced Teachers"

sounds like a load of crap. I'm sorry you are going through this...administration sucks!

Re: "Experienced Teachers"

I feel that I have a pretty good handle on them...I too have convinced them that there are not only cameras in the room but cameras all over the school and that I watch the "tapes" frequently I sometimes forget that I told them that but it is so instilled in them that they talk about the cameras all the time...like a few months ago someone did something that I didn't see and they were like well you better watch out because Mrs M is going to watch the footage of you doing that. And I said what footage and they said you know from the cameras...You just can't make this stuff up...this stuff makes me day

Message edited 4/13/2007 10:53:24 PM.

Re: "Experienced Teachers"

Id say 95% of the time I know.. I choose to ignore about 40% of that so what does that make it?!?!!?

I have boss that would manipulate words like that so I know how it feels.

Re: "Experienced Teachers"

I teach on average 50 students at a time, and there are only 2 of us...and the area is large, so I can honestly say not all of the time, but I try to position myself so I can scan the gymnasium/field as often and quickly as possible.

Re: "Experienced Teachers"

I know you posted this a couple of days ago - but...

Do you have a post-observation conference? Is there a place on your observation paper to respond to anything written?

If you do have a conference, I would as, "What is your overall assessment of my classroom management?" If he/she brings that one incident up, I would ask - aside from that. I wouldn't accept that being on my written observation.

Second question - how long have you been teaching? And have you ever had a negative comment on an observation before?

In the future, during observations, don't be afraid to reprimand or remind students to be on task. That shows you are maintaining control. That way, the administrator will be less likely to pick on a little incident like that b/c it shows you are already on top of things.

HTH