I spent all day yesterday thinking and talking about teacher evaluations. It's a HUGE subject and a HUGELY important subject for everyone involved in the process: administrators who have to do them; teachers whose livelihood depends on them; communities that depend on teachers; and most importantly for students whose lives and futures depend on every little thing we do every single day.
I spend a GREAT deal of my "spare" time, all year through, thinking about how I might help MY future teachers to be prepared for both the science and the craft of teaching. I struggle with the balance between theoretical preparation and practical "how-to" knowledge and usually wish my classes were a little longer sot aht I could cram just a little more into each session.
On this beautiful sunny Saturday in January, I have spent a good chunk of the day thinking about and reviewing the work of a teachers that will contribute to important decisions about a child's future: because what teachers do is that important!
As I reflect on the challenge, I am reminded that teachers, like doctors and nurses and lawyers and dentests and pharmacists..............., are professionals who make ongoing decisions that impact the lives of others each and every day. Teachers are educated - almost everyone has credits beyond their Masters Degree - but education alone is not enough to assure that ALL of us are doing the BEST we can each and every day for each and every kid.
I really DO want to help get this right for kids because every child should have a teacher who cares about him / her as an individual AND who knows their content thoroughly. Every child deserves a teacher who works hard planning, modifies plans as needed and reflects after each lesson. However, I also want to be fair to teachers at the beginning of their careers and when their hair begins to turn gray. (After all, it you really ARE a teacher, you WILL be gray!)
I spend a GREAT deal of my "spare" time, all year through, thinking about how I might help MY future teachers to be prepared for both the science and the craft of teaching. I struggle with the balance between theoretical preparation and practical "how-to" knowledge and usually wish my classes were a little longer sot aht I could cram just a little more into each session.
On this beautiful sunny Saturday in January, I have spent a good chunk of the day thinking about and reviewing the work of a teachers that will contribute to important decisions about a child's future: because what teachers do is that important!
As I reflect on the challenge, I am reminded that teachers, like doctors and nurses and lawyers and dentests and pharmacists..............., are professionals who make ongoing decisions that impact the lives of others each and every day. Teachers are educated - almost everyone has credits beyond their Masters Degree - but education alone is not enough to assure that ALL of us are doing the BEST we can each and every day for each and every kid.
I really DO want to help get this right for kids because every child should have a teacher who cares about him / her as an individual AND who knows their content thoroughly. Every child deserves a teacher who works hard planning, modifies plans as needed and reflects after each lesson. However, I also want to be fair to teachers at the beginning of their careers and when their hair begins to turn gray. (After all, it you really ARE a teacher, you WILL be gray!)
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