Have any of you been evaluated yet this year? My husband got his evaluation and he did amazing for it being his first year, he got excellent straight across. All my coworkers have been doing poorly. Our principal is looking at us very closely this year. For some odd reason, she always leaves me to the very end. I am so paranoid every year. In the past, I had the confidence that I was a good teacher. This year, I have had a difficult class. I feel that I can't discipline them, they never listen, and they always talk over me. They don't care if they have detention, if they get written up, they simply don't care. They love testing the waters. I am beginning to feel it is me that is the problem. I have a feeling I will get evaluated either tomorrow or Friday. I can feel it, and normally my gut feeling is right. I have scratched some of my lessons and re did them tonight. I have been hearing some horrible things. I fear I will really mess up this time. I have always received an excellent evaluation, but I feel this time my class won't be helpful. Prayers and words of encouragement are helpful. However, I'm curious how your evaluations have been. Thanks for hearing me out, I needed a vent!
Hang in there. Lots of my friends have, but not me yet. I think my department chair and I probably teach the same periods, and he'll have to get a sub to see me. So he's probably holding off on that. Fingers crossed for you.
Does your husband work at the same school as you? This is one issue I have always had - evaluations are so based on the reviewer's personality. My first year teaching I also got all excellents. My evaluator was a pushover. Same with the second year. Then they did an administrator mix up and we got a new AP. She was awful. She was one of those people who had to find at least as many recommendations as kudos. I got Satisfactory across the board, when at that point I know I was a better teacher than I had been those first couple years. But if someone looked at my file, it looked like I took a significant nose dive. And the professional responsibilities category I had no where to improve - I definitely at least deserved excellent in that category. I was advising three clubs, on numerous committees, participating in any PD I could, even voluntary, was in grad school... It wasn't humanly possible for me to do any more. She basically responded that she didn't think anyone who was teaching under 5 years should get excellent in anything.
We have a new system this year . There are tons of criteria they have to see in a 30 minute period. A lot of teachers are stressing about it. Honestly, I was a little disappointed by my feedback for the 1st one-it wasn't terrible but worse than I had anticipated. I didn't agree with all the suggestions, but will do implement them next time. I agree with Silver that it's all very subjective-just like how different teachers grade-some are more tough than others. My other problem is that my assessor never taught a grade below 4th-so she's looking for things that she did as a teacher---some of those just don't fit when it comes to Kinder.
I'm not evaluated this year. Tenured teachers are formally evaluated every three years. I'll be due one next year. I've never had a bad one, but I'm always a little nervous, even after 19 years of excellent evaluations. I've had several walk-through visits this year. The district uses that to gather general information. We can request a copy to be emailed to us. I like feedback.
I have been observed, shortly, but not a formal evaluation yet. I think we have formal evaluations in November, so mine should be coming up soon. The important thing to remember is to be prepared, of course, and relax. You want to go in there being confident. If you are a pile of nerves, it will likely show. So, just relax and give it your best.
I had my first formal evaluation today, actually. Even though I previously taught for three years, I'm new to the district, so I'm considered a probationary teacher. I have to be formally evaluated three times this year. I think it went well. I meet with him next Thursday to go over the evaluation. When he left, he told me I did a really good job and he looks forward to talking with me next week, so I'm not too nervous.
It's not my year to be evaluated. I've never once been given something to improve upon...top marks from student teaching up to my last evaluation. Which, come on...of course there are things I could improve! That just demonstrates again how subjective it all is. I know evaluations are changing considerably with new laws in place. They will be more "severe" and meaningful.
The administrators in our district have been handing out "unsatisfactory" evaluations like candy. Not because those poor souls actually ARE "unsatisfactory," but because of being on the state's "corrective action" list. The administrators are just trying to cover their as*es and justify their jobs to the state officials. It's a genuine shame. I just saw a show from 1962 where a guy was kidding around about his friend doing a lousy job at work - even though the guy was doing an excellent job. The kidding finally got out of hand to the point that one of the characters said, "That's his livelihood! It's not right for you to run around spreading the idea that he's doing a bad job when you really know he isn't!" Someone's professional reputation and work record.....it's something they don't seem to care about muddying in 2011 as long as it serves their own purpose!
Reality, I have heard from friends and family that outright false negative evaluations are growing more common as states are required to, as you said, justify certain positions or programs or to remain eligible for certain grants and such. Pathetic. ETA: It's like a police officer being told there has to be a certain crime rate, so they arrest random people or exaggerate their wrongdoings.
I had my yearly unannounced eval this week. I felt horrible about it, even though I've never gotten any less than a perfect score. It just seemed like everything went wrong, including me misreading the first problem we did. I quickly turned it into a lesson on reading carefully and how to handle problems like that on a state test. He gave me high marks for being flexible and modifying as needed! My advice is relax, do what you do every day, and go with the flow!
We schedule our own evals. They have to be during a certain time of year, but once a year, our choice for the day.
Ours are all new this year. Admin does many walk-throughs that count toward it and there is one formal one that we schedule. The new system though is a joke for me! When I sat down and looked at the matrix in relation to what I do it hit me that I will NEVER be rated highly effective. Test scores are a huge part of it and nobody can answer how it will be used in my final. If you get two years of "Needs Improvement" now you will lose your tenure rights. The first time I get rated negatively is the year I get out of Special Education. I love the kids but I have a family to feed.
It was on Thursday just as I suspected. She should let me know on Monday how I did. My class did very well compared to what I expected. I want to say it went good, but you never know. It was unexpected. She always pops in when we least expect it. My husband works for the same school, but he has a different principal. It's three schools in one. His principal is very friendly and a bit more relaxed. Ours is very conservative, and doesn't care for the noise level or some modern teaching styles. In the past I've always received excellents, it's just with her you. Ever know. Question : can assistant principals do the observations?
In our corporation, our VP does the evals on teachers with 10 years +, which leaves our P doing all the evals on teachers with under 10 years experience. I am not really sure who set up this system as I don't ever remember reading it in our contract but this system is fairly common through out our area even with other corps.
Both our principal and assistant principals do observations. They divide them up. I've been observed by both our principal and assistant.
I've had my informal and my formal eval. I did well on both and am happy to report the admin at my new school are helpful and make the eval process easy. The eval is written up by the admin in the computer while he/she is in your room. There is immediate feedback. I like that At my previous school an evaluation was completed and had to be sent to the district for them to rate, and it took weeks to get the results. That was stressful. I know that the evaluation process can be very stressful. In my previous school there really was a lot of favortism by the three APs. That's not fair, but I don't know what we can do about it except continue to do our best. It's very frustrating when that is the case.
I had an informal eval the other day, unannounced. I had just been told that the Dean of Operations had sent me an email. I was reading it when my P walked in. It's his pet peeve, teachers at their desks when students should be working. I talked to the Dean the next morning & he said not to worry about it.
Don't even get me started on evaluations....*mean face* But glad they have been going well for many of you!
Where I work, the students evaluate us. Until now, it's been mostly positive, but some things hurt a lot. It is horrible, because they say whatever. For instance: I'm never late, but I've already got remarks I arrive late for classes. How come? It is stressful and I'm very depressed now. I've got a class with over 80 students and I have to discipline them. It works alright, but I'm already guessing that on my evaluation they'll seek "vengeance", if you know what I mean. So: you're not alone! Good luck!
Our evals will be different this year. The headmaster, dean for curriculum and Dean of students will all be in our rooms for informal evals, then we will have one official formal unannounced eval and then we have to write a teaching philosophy based on the school and the 4 questions they gave us. So far this year I have not had many of the informal evals, but most other teachers haven't had them either. It does make me a little worried that me yearly eval will be based only on an unannounced formal eval. But I understand why they made the changes they did.
Just an update, my evaluation was great. She was thrilled with my teaching. She has always given me positive feedback, but this past semester and with my new class I was afraid. I got excellent straight across with maybe two or three good. She gave me wonderful remarks. I am so excited.
That's fabulous news. She must know it is a challenging class and you are likely doing better with them than you think!
MATGrad- I'm actually glad that I'm still long term subbing here in FL right now. Hopefully they get some of the kinks out (or better yet scrap it all together) before I get back to a full time position. FYI I have never been evaluated as a long term despite the fact that I was/am the sole teacher for the year. Yet as full time it's every year here.
I would never say this unless I was asked, but I had an amazing eval. this year. My principal said he thought and thought all day long about some sort of areas of improvement/suggestions/constructive criticism he could offer, but he couldn't think of anything at all. Such a huge relief when you get positive feedback from your leader!
I've had one 30 minute one that is unannounced and he has to schedule the next one, which is 45 minutes. This is the new Georgia evaluation called Class Keys. For both evaluations, you have an appointment and you and the principal go over each point for the sections that are being observed. He had marked "proficient" on all of them..there are four steps and that's the 3rd one. He told me that he had only given "exemplary" in one category to one other teacher. Well, I presented my points where I needed to and successfully got him to agree that I was "exemplary" in two areas! I have no idea why other teachers at my school didn't do the same thing because they are an amazing group of teachers. I just felt like pushing it on that day. I didn't go further on any of the other ones. In fact, in one category, I said that I doubt I would ever want to meet their criteria for exemplary. That is one in which I am suppose to do the following: "Engages students in unit design, providing them with standards and guiding them in planning, organizing, and assessing strategies, settings, and content that will help all achieve." Huh? My fourth graders are going to plan the unit, organize, and decide their own assessment? Are you nuts? I can see some AP kids in high school doing that, but I just don't think my nine and ten year olds have it in them! But the big point is that I like planning. I'd rather be "proficient" than take the time to guide them to do what I want them to do. Actually, what he doesn't understand is that quote is listed as an example of how that particular strand is met. Georgia isn't expecting teachers to meet each example. I pulled up where it said that on the website that explains Class Keys, but decided against showing it to him. I just don't need him on my bad side again because he can be quite vicious. I'm glad I got the two that I did, but I'm no longer in the mood to care about the next part of the evaluation. I know and you probably know what you can do, and some silly evaluation sheet made up by a bunch of people who haven't been in the classroom in years isn't going to change that.
That's funny. We have a similar one could you imagine my Kinders doing that-we'd be doing lessons on pizza and wii's all the time? That's another issue I have with the new evaluation-the criteria are exactly the same for Pre-K and Specials teachers as it is for 5th Grade. We have one that says "students take the leadership role during most of the lesson and require little or no guidance from the teacher to maintain momentum"-um, sure.. I can see that happening with a bunch of 5-year olds! :unsure:
Being a probationary teacher, the principal is my evaluator. Last year, my first year, the principal had hired me so he loved me and gave me the highest marks across the board. He didn't even evaluate me until April, after my contract had already been renewed. This year, we have a new principal and he has a completely different personality, so I'm worried. No one I know has been evaluated yet, but it makes me nervous - especially since my biggest class (which they usually observe) is extremely challenging this year.
Mine was about 2 weeks ago. Aside from a class of Stepford Students, desperately trying to help me do well, it went fine. It got to the point where, in the middle of the class, I told them we all knew Mr. C. was in the back of the room, but I wanted my normal class back. A ripple of laughter went through the room, and I got my class back.
