Classroom Reflection

Their eyes met from across the room, and any student paying close enough attention could see the loathing in the teacher’s eyes as the principal walks into the room for the bi-semester teacher evaluation. In the blink of an eye the teacher returns her focus back on the students, but the obvious exchange between the two individuals makes those of us in the classroom that understand the source of the icy gaze extremely uncomfortable. My teacher hates the principal with a passion. Ever since the principal assumed control of the school three years prior to this particular evaluation, she terrorized my band director. Through micromanaging, criticizing relentlessly, organizing meetings incessantly, and sabotaging schedules, my principal fostered a hate from not only my band director, but also from the majority of teachers in my high school. The attitude and leadership techniques utilized by my former principal directly contradicts current theories of the scholarly community on how to effectively lead a school.

Goldhammer, R. 1969 Clinical Supervision: Special Methods for the Supervision of Teachers. New York: Holt Rinehart & Winston

“The principal must communicate a clear vision of instructional excellence, provide feedback to teacher through both the informal and formal processes of supervision and evaluation, and, finally ensure continuous professional development consistent with the goal of high student achievement for all students” (DiPaola and Hoy, 2014, p. 20). Supervision of teachers is a major responsibility for principals and it has a significant impact on school climate and student achievement. The supervisory process itself is very complex and requires principals to differentiate supervision styles from teacher to teacher. The purpose of this paper is to describe my first supervision experience that took place during the Fall 2016 semester at Rural Retreat High School.

As a student in the Education Department at Saint Mary’s College, I have been assigned a set of eight standards to fulfill before graduation. Having these standards guides all students in becoming the necessary well-rounded teacher candidates needed to go into the field of education and ultimately becoming a successful teacher in the future. Each standard relates to a different area, including having a broad and comprehensive understanding of learning processes, the professional environment, and content. Throughout the last two years, I have had a number of opportunities, both in the field and in my classes at Saint Mary’s, to meet these eight standards.

Administrators are not only responsible for supervising teachers but also accountable for helping teachers improve on their craft. Like professional development, supervision should also be differentiated. No two teaches are alike

Over the course of the unit and from the experience gained through my professional placements, I am progressively developing a pragmatic approach to classroom management. However, I am mindful of the recommendation suggested by Lyons, Ford and Slee (2014) that pre-service teachers should begin with adopting a single approach to inform and guide their classroom management style. Therefore, I am prepared to adjust my individual personal beliefs, attitudes and values about the ways students are disciplined in pursuance of adhering to school-wide approaches as

He found that the advisory system, personal learning plans, student-based learning, classroom management, and behavior were areas that needed improvement (p. 9). At this point, teachers still did not have a concrete schedule and were challenged with behavioral problems and working with a diverse group of students. The teachers felt part of the problem, was not having a seasoned teacher in the school nor a formal discipline plan. Behavioral challenges continued to be a problem throughout the school year. Even though the district reimbursed the school for the services of a psychologist, a speech therapist, and a nurse, they were part-time and not on-site when situations arose (p.

My first observation experience was eye-opening. Upon my arrival to Providence Catholic High School, I only had basic knowledge about what it took to be an effective teacher. After working with many different teachers at this high school, it became evident that every teacher adopted their own style of teaching. I also began to understand that in order to be a wonderful

Teaching is a career that always provides learning opportunities. There is a life-long opportunity to learn from your students and colleagues. As an administrator it is essential that I am able to provide guidance and instruction to my staff and students. However, there are always new and improved strategies and concepts introduced. This allows me to study and evaluate theories that have been introduced. This happens because it allows me to constantly stay informed and learn from others. After completing the evaluation, it allowed me to identify areas of improvement in my instructional leadership.

“Without guidance from a skilled leader, teachers and students are likely to experience frustration and failure” (Eilers and D’Amico, 2012).

My passion for teaching will continue from a different perspective now. One gain from the supervision cycle is that I now place a higher value on listening and discussing with teachers. I often would ask myself if being a principal is what I want to be, but this great experience has confirmed for me that helping others and seeing them grow is my passion. Glickman, Gordon, and Gordon-Ross (2014) define the clinical supervision cycle as assistance for the enhancement of teaching and learning (Glickman et al., 2014, p. 9). The goal of clinical supervision is to foster teachers’ learning skills, improving instruction and student learning. Therefore, I do want teachers to feel I am there to support them in all aspects through the collaboration based on their individual needs. This experience makes me think that I will always be a teacher and I will always be a learner with teachers; the same way teachers work with students. I want them to be open with me so that together we can implement changes in the least restrictive way possible. I look forward to practicing the clinical supervision cycle with teachers the coming year. I have enjoyed and learned so much in this experience, but one thing stays in my heart is the fact that teachers aim for constructive feedback, this allows many positive opportunities. As I listened to Ms. Aguilar during the post conference, I realized that feedback provides a foundation for a positive teacher- supervisor relationship. By providing appropriate feedback, the teachers understand that the supervisor is genuinely concerned about their growth. This component also enhances a teachers’ self-efficacy and provides an avenue for motivation. The ultimate goal of supervision is for teachers to improve their knowledge and skills in order to make schools a more efficient and effective learning community for all

Teaching, no matter the age of students, subject, or teaching environment, is a complex profession that needs excellent preparation programs to create efficient teachers. When people go to become teachers the teacher preparation/credential programs usually consist of two overlapping parts. The teacher candidates get a formal education in the classroom as well as being able to practice teaching in the practicum portion at the local schools. During the practicum part of the credential programs each teacher candidate has a university supervisor to help give feedback and guide the teacher candidate’s learning experiences while they are in the classroom. The university supervisor’s feedback ideally would have the teacher candidate see the positive teaching skills they possess, see the areas of growth they need to work on, and be able to reflect on their lessons. Due to how important the university supervisor’s feedback can be to the teacher candidate and their overall teaching career there has been research looking at how feedback is given, the type of

The focus of this paper is to analyze the supervision and evaluation of teachers at my Catholic school, and suggest a model program that better meets the needs of all teachers, regardless of their years in service. My experience teaching at the same school over the last 15 years indicates that supervision and evaluation of teachers is either a perfunctory task, or designed as a “gotcha” activity. In either case, there is never the expectation that the teacher and the administrator will collaborate to ensure teacher professional development, and no one would call it a meaningful process. Research shows that teachers do not become better teachers based on passive participation in an evaluation process they do not value. Charlotte Danielson (2010) argues that professional growth occurs only when teachers engage in “self-assessment, reflection on practice and professional conversation.” (p. 38).

Teaching can be a challenge, you never know what to expect and each classroom will be unique. However, you will always have to be prepare for teaching in a situation you may not be comfertable with. Educating students and practicing proper knowledge on subjects such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation and disability are vital in creating a safe and respectful classroom for all. School is often looked upon as a place of security for students and it is our job as teachers to help maintain that status.

The supervision of teaching scenario presents an interesting case study in that it touches upon the hiring of personnel, supervision of teachers, and designing a teacher action plan. The collaboration between the teacher committee and principal is a solid example of building bridges, between the existing staff and a new principal, along with empowering the staff to take ownership of decisions. Ms. Jones having 20% more behavior referrals than her colleagues, and the borderline chaos in her classroom emphasizes the need for more frequent walkthroughs and supervising teachers more closely. Additionally, the challenges presented by Ms. Jones perception of her situation brings developmental supervision into the forefront of the scenario.