I honestly do not know.<\/p>\n
When I started teaching, the idea of being “evaluated” was a foreign – almost bizarre – concept. As a doctor who had completed my studies and subsequent internship I was deemed “qualified” to treat patients. For fifteen years no one ever stopped by my office to check-up, or to observe, how I practiced. My success was based on outcomes – the improved health of my patients. It seemed normal – one might say logical.<\/em> It was the same for all professionals I worked with: orthopedists, radiologists, physical therapists, and physiologists. Our training, followed by successfully passing of both national and state boards, qualified us to diagnose and treat patients. No one ever looked over our shoulder to see if we were “practicing” correctly. We were judged on the progress and outcome of those we treated. We never questioned our professional competency. Teachers should feel this way as well.<\/p>\n Fast forward fifteen years. I begin my second professional career in education. Only this time my qualifications serve only to secure employment and I am now subject to regular observations<\/em> – both announced and unannounced – which will determine the security of my employment. Teacher observations, based less<\/em> on outcome – student progress and achievement<\/em><\/strong> – and more<\/em> on “demonstrations” cover a narrow range of teaching skills. Student trending and progress are not routinely factored into the evaluative equation and only the final grades seem important. I have been fortunate and have always earned \u201csatisfactory\u201d evaluations, but many excellent teachers have not been so lucky.<\/p>\n Being observed was weird at first – and it is still weird<\/em> today. Here I was, a doctor who dreamed of passing his expertise on to young minds. I interviewed (twice), then the demo lesson, was hired and given a room. Life was good! Given my extensive background of diagnosing and treating thousands of patients, I was showing my middle-schoolers things that they would never see anywhere else. Then came word that I was going to be \u201cobserved.\u201d Really? But you just hired me! Is now<\/strong> the best time to gauge if I know what I am doing – after<\/strong> you hire me? I thought you hired me because you thought I was<\/strong> qualified.<\/em> Apparently not.<\/p>\n Was everything OK? Did I do something wrong? Could they look through my facade and see I wasn\u2019t a teacher, but just a guy who knew a lot about science? Could they see that I was really a fraud? I didn’t know the answer then, but 15 years later no matter how it is presented – this is just how the observation feels – like they are looking<\/em> for something.<\/p>\n Since I was new to this profession, I was also visited by a union rep who reassured me that everything was fine and this is just standard operating procedure. S.O.P.? How could that be? In fifteen years as a doctor, no one ever came to my office to observe or evaluate me \u2013 to watch and make sure I was doing everything correctly. And if anyone should have been evaluated, wouldn\u2019t it be someone whose job it was to manipulate your spine? She reassured me everything was fine. So I took it in stride and acquiesced \u2013 as if I had a choice \u2013 to being \u201cobserved\u201d (even the term observe <\/em>is a bit sinister<\/i>). From then on, I never truly understood why I needed to be checked on\u2026 several times each year. The key take-aways I have gleaned from my post-observations have been procedural points I omitted<\/em>, but needed to include during the next observation. (Observation<\/em> still sounds sinister!)<\/p>\n And so began my journey of asking, \u201cWhy are teachers observed?\u201d Fifteen years later, I am still asking.<\/p>\n I ask because it is difficult to understand why there is no other profession<\/em> <\/strong>that observes or evaluates their professionals\u00a0the way we do in education. Why is the \u201ccourtesy\u201d of professional competence afforded to your doctor or your dentist, yet not afforded to teachers?<\/p>\n So often the same principals<\/span><\/i> evaluate the same teachers<\/span><\/i> for the same skills or tasks<\/span><\/i> year after year. Do they think teachers will forget how to do these things? Why can\u2019t they assume \u2013 as they do for other professionals \u2013 the teacher’s mastery actually develops and improves with time? And if they are unsure about how qualified we are, isn\u2019t that what our internship (“student teaching\u201d) was supposed to evaluate? If you can\u2019t teach, wasn\u2019t your supervising teacher supposed to help you to improve? So why the need for regular classroom evaluations once you are hired? Isn’t student improvement the gold standard for school success?<\/p>\n Most every professional does an internship where they develop skills sufficient to demonstrate competence in their chosen field. Student teaching is our internship. Let\u2019s take a look at a few other professions and see how their internships<\/em> compare:<\/p>\n So why – after completing the required university work and subsequent internship – are these professionals not evaluated yearly the same as teachers? Some professionals<\/i> in groups or large practices might be evaluated – but not for their professional acumen, or expertise, but solely on their contribution to the organization. Their results<\/em><\/strong>. So why are teachers \u2013 equivalent in professional standing \u2013 required to undergo regular evaluations to merit competency?<\/p>\n To that point, “Why, in spite of successful 30 to 35 year tenures, are veteran teachers still evaluated?”<\/p>\n http:\/\/thebusinessofschool.org\u00a0\u00a0 Teacher Practice Management Consulting<\/p>\n Please register on the blog for the latest updates – and let’s get ready for September \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I honestly do not know. When I started teaching, the idea of being “evaluated” was a foreign – almost bizarre – concept. As a doctor who had completed my studies and subsequent internship I was deemed “qualified” to treat patients. … Continue reading \n